(This is in no way associated with Harry Potter, Warner Bros, Scholastic Books, J.K. Rowling, The Hunger Games, Lionsgate, Suzanne Collins, or any other official affiliate of the aforementioned, so on and so forth.)

With that out of the way, this is going to be a very different sort of story, so an explanation is in order before we plunge in.

In 2011, a website called The Potter Games opened up on TheFandom.net, which took the premise of The Hunger Games (12 boys and 12 girls chosen to fight to the death in an arena at the whim of the tyrannical government) and put it in a Harry Potter setting, with HP characters and magic. Going to that site, you'll see the 24 "Tributes" right off and can choose one, to read their story and guide them to survival and victory. In all such stories, you read a scene, then you have two choices to make, A or B. The wrong choice will lead to the character's death, while the right choice prolongs their survival and continues their storyline.

At the top of the page are two links, "The Rebellion" and "The Horcruxes," two parts of the same story. In the Rebellion scenario, instead of fighting each other to the death, the Hogwarts Tributes agree to band together against Voldemort and escape the Arena. "The Rebellion" details this escape, while the sequel "The Horcruxes" details their hunt for the six Horcruxes. After that, however, the storyline was more or less abandoned.

This story, however, serves as the climax, part three in an originally planned trilogy, and the scope will be very large.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE PRIOR STUFF TO READ THIS ONE. I have included a summary below that should get you up to speed!

I have contributed to The Potter Games in the past (I co-wrote Padma Patil's tribute path, as well as some of Rebellion too), and the plan is eventually to incorporate TPG: Endgame onto the site one day; I've already gotten approval from the editor, and we're currently working out the technicalities of it. But I also wanted to share the story here, where more in-depth discussion can take place as I lead you through seven quests, comprising twelve scenes each.

Special mention should go here to
@YodaKenobi who has graciously offered to help me beta this sprawling adventure. Far more than that, however, his incredibly intricate, character-driven and novel-length fanfic series (the latest of which you can find here, and I highly recommend reading all of it) has served as an invaluable inspiration for my own writing. You'll see similar patterns between our works, though I regret to say that I don't think my writing is nearly up to the quality of his! But his imprint on the work that follows is undeniable.

Up next are the trailer for the current story and a summary of what transpired in the previous two stories ("Rebellion" and "Horcruxes") since most of you aren't likely to be familiar with those.

Probably tomorrow I'll post that trailer, and look at it carefully... For one of the 24 Tributes--not including Crabbe or Creevey (both MIA in "Rebellion"), Cedric (already reborn as a vampire, see below), or Harry--will die before the conclusion of Endgame. Most likely one of the Mentors too!

TheFandom.net logo appears in grayscale against the backdrop of a stormy sky as music begins.

Pan to twenty-four witches and wizards sitting in downcast silence at a breakfast table in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Focus on Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood at the end of the table, who face each other, their heads alone lifted high.

Shift to Luna addressing a teary-eyed Padma Patil. “Neville and I are working on an escape plan.” Shift to Hannah Abbott sitting in a Hogwarts window sill, her face showing signs of hope for the first time as she locks eyes with Neville. Luna’s voice-over: “You can think of it like a Rebellion of sorts.”

Text overlay on the stormy sky backdrop: FIRST THEY FORMED A REBELLION

Choral background singing begins.

Shift to Neville, holding the sword of Godric Gryffindor, a newly beheaded snake at his feet as a crowd of London Muggles looks on.

A cascade of images, flowing smoothly from one to the next:…from Ginny Weasley accepting an aged black diary into her hands……to an onyx jewel-mounted ring in the palm of a worried looking Fleur Delacour……to Hermione Granger snatching a golden locket from the neck of Dolores Umbridge……to an ornate twin-handled cup clattering to the ground as a Ministry official falls next to it with an arrow through his chest……to Cedric Diggory removing a silver bejeweled diadem from the head of a fallen vampire maiden.

Text overlay on the stormy sky backdrop: NOW THEY HAVE FOUND ALL THE HORCRUXES

Pan out to show the Dark Mark glowing green high above the familiar London skyline.

Ron Weasley rushes in to tackle Hermione’s unseen attacker as we hear his voice-over, voice intense: “What are we waiting for?”

Strings begin playing increasingly up-tempo.

Harry Potter’s voice-over: “I don’t have to tell you how incredibly dangerous this is going to be,” as we’re treated to images first of a legion of Death Eaters sweeping en masse out of a dark sky in pursuit of several silhouettes on broomstick—then to one of acromantulas sliding down webs from treetops in ambush, surrounding Viktor Krum, Fleur, Cedric, Cho Chang and a few others—and finally to Katie Bell in a garish pink room, a look of stunned disbelief on her face as she examines a tiny scrap of parchment.

Sirius Black’s voice-over: “When Voldemort reaped the lot of you for his Games, you ceased to be the only chosen one, Harry.” We watch as a great crowd of students gathers in front of Neville, Luna, and others. “Now he’s created twenty-something chosen ones.”

Harry again: “I couldn’t possibly ask any more of you,” as we’re shown an image of Ginny grabbing Wormtail by his collar with both hands—followed by one of Angelina Johnson kicking off the rocky ground into the nighttime sky on her broom, George Weasley at her side. “I never expected this…”

A rapid-fire succession of images, flashing quickly from one almost immediately to the next:…from Umbridge’s eyes widening in terror……to Yaxley furiously firing his wand……to Bellatrix LeStrange beckoning her attacker closer……to an explosion destroying the Cornucopia in the center of the Arena……to an aerial battle on broomstick, the air so filling with spells and curses that the dark sky flashes to white.

A panoramic view of Hogwarts Castle at war, flames pouring out from many of the windows and doors, consuming the ramparts, as smoke fills the skies above.

Cymbals begin to escalate toward a crescendo.

Shift to Padma telling her sister Parvati, “I fear we may have taken on more than we can handle this time.”

Shift to Katniss Everdeen asking Ginny, “So what do we do now?”

Brass is added in as the music becomes even more intense.

Charlie Weasley swoops down into a dark forest on dragonback.

Luna hangs precariously on to a lone support beam, her grip loosening, and we see nothing but a raging fire blazing far below her.

Harry blasts a Death Eater out of a Hogwarts window.

Wormtail sprints down a white corridor, firing curses over his shoulder.

Voldemort gradually overpowers seven unseen combatants with a single spell.

The music halts momentarily as the screen shifts to another text overlay on the stormy backdrop: ON NOVEMBER 9

The brass begins again as we see Bellatrix brandishing a long, serpentine blade. “Well, well, well! If it isn’t precious little Longbottom?” she taunts. Shift to a close-up of Neville’s anxious but determined face, one freshly bleeding cut prominent on his check from temple to neck. Shift back to Bellatrix: “Your Mummy and Daddy provided me with oh so much fun. But I’ve got even greater plans for you!” Shift back to Neville as we see him drawing the sword of Gryffindor and preparing to charge.

Bellatrix’s cackling grows louder in the background as the two suddenly join in combat, their swords clanging viciously as each fights the other through a room filled with overturned tables and poisonous plant life; fire is visible in the distant background through myriad windows.

Cymbals and drums sound again as the screen shifts to another text overlay on the stormy backdrop: THE END BEGINS

The brass becomes prominent again as we see Voldemort ascending above the battleground within a spherical force field.

Pansy Parkinson makes her way down a cluttered corridor, a dumbfounded Gregory Goyle huffing along behind her.

“You have betrayed everything, Draco!” We see Lucius Malfoy locked in a terrible duel with his own son, their wands connected by a glowing bead of energy in the center of their spell casts, each vying for dominance over the other, the strain and the hate apparent on both faces. Lucius’s voice-over again: “They did what was necessary. And now, so must I.”

Cymbals clash again at another text overlay on the stormy backdrop: EVERY GAME MUST HAVE ITS WINNER

Brass, cymbals, and drums all reach a crescendo as we see an unknown number of Death Eaters closing in on Katie, her wand hidden underneath her, but crackling with power.

The instruments halt as choral music takes over, and we see the village of Hogsmeade going up in flames.

Hermione calls out, “Harry! Listen to me!” as he continues marching onward, unheeding. Cut away as we see her bring out her wand.

The music bursts into full force with full choir as we’re treated to a rapid sequence of scenes:

Cedric single-handedly grabbing a werewolf out of its lunge in midair…

Lavender Brown rushing down the length of an elegant but ruined ballroom, her eyes wet with tears and panic…

Fleur flinging curses from her wand, an inhuman look in her eyes…

Oliver Wood and Katie sharing a brief but impassioned kiss…

Draco, the balls of his fists on his forehead, gritting his teeth in anguish…

Parvati plummeting to the River Thames…

Cormac McLaggen seizing Wormtail by the arm…

Fenrir Greyback whispering in Cho’s ear…

Neville dashing full speed along a stonewall rampart, while we hear him shouting, “Damn you, Luna!”

Fred and George Weasley, circling high overhead on broomsticks, one twin’s wand shooting fire, the other’s shooting ice…

Clove hurling a knife at Katniss’s chest…

Ginny hugging Harry, crying uncontrollably.

Screen goes black as the music halts, the image fading back on to show Voldemort within the ruins of the Great Hall. We hear him say, “Did you really think that I, Lord Voldemort, could be overcome by a mere band of schoolchildren?”

Shift to Viktor fleeing for his life from sudden attackers—all we can see behind him are hooves.

Shift to Luna trading spells with Bellatrix on a high rampart.

Text overlay on the stormy backdrop: THE FINAL BATTLES

Shift to Dobby leading an army of house-elves, armed with knives and other kitchen utensils, into battle.

Shift to Snape soaring up a long vertical corridor on bat-like wings.

Text overlay on the stormy backdrop: ARE YOURS TO DECIDE

The instruments and choir escalate even higher as the following images rush by almost too fast to see:

A curse knocking Harry flat on his back…

Luna skipping through a grassy field, surrounded by silver hares…

Pansy leaping down from a high vantage point, anguish on her face…

Voldemort roaring with rage…

Bill Weasley struggling desperately in the grip of a dragon’s talon…

Alecto Carrow shouting and pointing at someone we can’t see…

Stone walls at Hogwarts exploding…

A smug look on George’s face…

Katniss firing an arrow from her bow…

Amycus Carrow’s lips pulled back in a sneer…

A stone gargoyle shooting a fireball out of its mouth…

Lavender leaping through an already broken window…

A dagger buried in the wall—barely an inch from Hannah’s head…

An expression of shock on Cormac’s face…

Padma rearing back on a thestral…

The music speeds up faster and faster during these scenes and after building to its final crescendo, then cuts to black—and silence. Cut to Angelina, her face contorted with grief and rage, holding a Quaffle-sized boulder and hurling it at her opponent with all her might. Cut to black again.

Fade back on to a tear-stricken Fred, who shakes his head “no” in answer to an unspoken question. Harry’s voice-over: “What if everything we’ve done up to this point, and all that we’ve lost… What if it’s all been for nothing?” as we see many Tributes and Mentors enter group by group into what was once a vast chamber, now reduced to ruins, hollowed out, and open to the gloom-filled sky above.

The final scenes come in rapid succession as the music comes back on once more in full force:…from two Patronuses whirling together into a cyclone to produce one super Patronus……to Clove, Cato, Marvel, and Glimmer fleeing in terror……to Goyle wrestling Yaxley to the ground……to fireworks over Azkaban……to the silhouettes of Neville and Bellatrix against a backdrop of roaring flames, their swords a blur as they clash together furiously.

Shift to lightning streaking up the lettering of the title as the screen pans out to reveal the title in full – The Potter Games – and Hedwig’s theme plays on melancholy brass as the lightning concludes its run by generating the subtitle: ENDGAME

Shift to text overlay on the stormy backdrop: CHOOSE YOUR END – STARTING NOVEMBER 9

Thanks, NYCgurl! No, I won't be posting the original stories here, but I have now provided links to them.

Anyway, I've finished editing the second post, which now contains the summary [12/8 edit: now the trailer--summary has been moved below]. I felt that would be a bit too long to include it all in one opening post--my apologies about that.

NOTE: Much of what follows, especially in "The Horcruxes" sections, may seem a bit silly. Overall, this continuity had a very lighthearted feel, and especially by "The Horcruxes" was more or less like a crack fic, and intentionally so. The intention of "Endgame," however, will be much more serious, attempting to stay true to the movies/books, while also incorporating much of what's already established in the Potter Games continuity.

My own contribution (more in line with the feel of "Endgame") is highlighted in dark red below. I wrote the scenes for Luna, Padma, and Katie in "Team Luna" last year.

The first six stories in the Harry Potter series of novels have proceeded mostly as told within the books, but with some differences. Lord Voldemort has now won the war after killing AlbusDumbledore. As vengeance against those who resisted him, the Dark Lord then instituted the Potter Games, so named in mockery of his archnemesis Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and supposed Chosen One. Twelve boys and twelve girls were chosen to fight each other to the death in a dangerous Arena erected from dark magic, all but two "Tributes" taken from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry--even the Slytherins were not safe from the Reaping. Of these twenty-four, only Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood thought to rebel at first...

Team NevilleAfter conferring with Luna, Neville sought new allies within the Hogwarts classrooms, now converted to training stations. He found and recruited Hannah Abbott, who brought up the idea of using Floo powder to escape the Arena, and then the pair convinced George Weasley to help refine the powder. In so doing, he found himself in the girls' bathroom with Parvati Patil. There they found a Vanishing Cabinet in need of fixing, for which George planned to enlist his Mentor MundungusFletcher. To that end, Parvati went to find some Shrinking Solution when she ran into ViktorKrum, who wanted to help the cause. He created a Portkey out of a bracelet.

After this, Krum ran into his Mentor, Igor Karkaroff, who warned against any sort of rebellion or escape, saying that Voldemort was invincible. Krum found and informed Harry of this, who then went to his own Mentor Sirius Black with his concerns. Together, the two uncovered the mystery of the Horcruxes tethering the Dark Lord to immortality.

Elsewhere, Hermione Granger studied up on Voldemort's history with Minerva McGonagall, her Mentor. The next morning, Hermione took her place in the Arena (but not without a secret gift of books from McGonagall), with which she first defended herself against an attack by Vincent Crabbe. So repelled, he attacked Hannah but was thwarted by Neville. When he sought revenge against the couple, Cormac McLaggen stopped him and helped the couple escape into a forest. Cormac soon met Angelina Johnson, Hermione, and Krum, all preparing to escape via the latter's bracelet Portkey--Cormac shoved Angelina out of the way in order to escape with them.

But Angelina still had Hannah's stock of Floo powder, so she ran and found Ginny Weasley and another a companion, to whom a miniature version of the Three Broomsticks descended on parachute along with a vial of Shrinking Solution. Angelina and the others drank, shrank, and disappeared through the fireplace inside the inn run by a now tiny Madam Rosmerta, just before Lavender Brown arrived, feeling abandoned and despairing. Harry and George found her, but so did Draco Malfoy. George hit the latter with a Stinging Hex as he made a run for George's Vanishing Cabinet, which was just now arriving via parachute. Lavender and George escaped, and in a moment of pity for what Voldemort had subjected them all to, Harry helped Draco into the Vanishing Cabinet as well.

Team LunaConcurrent with the "Team Neville" storyline, Luna left Neville and made allies for the Rebellion out of her Mentor Remus Lupin, the house-elf Dobby, and her fellow Ravenclaw Padma Patil. This last was charged with procuring thestrals, but as Padma entered the Forbidden Forest, she was forced to remain hidden as Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy were ambushed by Death Eaters, led by Yaxley, while trying to free their son Draco. Padma was powerless to help as Alecto andAmycus Carrow killed Narcissa and enslaved Lucius with the Imperius Curse, after which Yaxley led him away. Padma then found her Mentor, the centaur Firenze, and Dobby, the latter of whom helped her obtain thestrals for the next day's escape. Next, Luna directed her to find brooms, so she went to Katie Bell, who had to be persuaded to help after her training session with Cormac and her Mentor Madam Hooch. Katie and Padma sneaked into the Quidditch stadium, stole a few brooms, then overcame a trio of dementors en route back to the castle, elated to be saving lives rather than destroying them.

Meanwhile, Dobby helped Fleur Delacour find a book in the Charms classroom to enable them to bring down the barrier around the Arena. Dobby added it to their stash of supplies while Fleur met with the others in the Great Hall, where Ron Weasley ate with Hermione and Harry. Afterward he received a note from his Mentor Rubeus Hagrid that Dumbledore had written to him before his death, about the "Tale of the Three Brothers"; Dumbledore cryptically urged him to trust Severus Snape. After this, Ron ran into Colin Creevey and likewise told the younger Gryffindor to trust Snape as the latter summoned Colin to his dungeon.

In there was Polyjuice Potion, which enabled Colin to disguise himself as Snape and vice versa. Snape, now in Colin's place, ventured into the Arena the next morning where he recruited a beleaguered Pansy Parkinson to join the Rebellion and escape. Reluctantly, she agreed. She was later attacked by Fred Weasley, but Snape-as-Colin was able to convince him to let her join. They found Dobby, who Disapparated Fred out. When next Gregory Goyle emerged to attack "Colin," Pansy convinced him to join them instead of fighting.

After more adventures, Goyle survived an indiscriminate attack from Crabbe, and leaving the latter to fend for himself in the midst of deadly danger, Goyle intervened to save Ginny from a dementor, and together the two of them overcame it, becoming unlikely allies. As they met with Luna and other Tributes, Colin was at last revealed to be Snape. Luna had Katie's brooms, and Padma arrived with thestrals; those on thestrals left first. Then Cho Chang cracked the code in Fleur's Charms book to bring down the Arena's barrier. When five Mentors plus Molly and Arthur Weasley arrived on Hagrid's motorbike, the remaining six Tributes (minus Luna) Polyjuiced to disguise themselves as Luna and flew out on broomstick as the Death Eaters converged on them. During the mayhem, Cedric Diggory sacrificed himself to save Cho. As he lay dying, he was approached by Sanguini the vampire, who offered Cedric the opportunity to become a vampire himself and fend off death. At the last moment, Cedric accepted.

ConclusionTwenty-one of the original twenty-four Tributes (Colin, Crabbe, and Cedric being the only ones unaccounted for) escaped to the Weasley twins' shop and the Rebellion's new makeshift headquarters, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, after emerging from the Arena victorious. But Harry announced that there were six Horcruxes to find before the threat of Voldemort could be ended for good.

The DiaryBefore leaving on her quest with Parvati and Katie, Ginny shared a passionate goodbye kiss with Harry. The three girls then went to the Burrow, where Mrs. Weasley put them to work on household chores in order to keep them from the dangerous task of Horcrux hunting. But Cedric showed up, reborn now as a vampire, and Parvati was smitten, though Katie kept the group focused. Cedric revealed that he saw Tom Riddle's diary in the Arena, so there the three witches returned. But now it was a Muggle arena, converted into the 74th Hunger Games. There they befriended Muggle Tributes Katniss Everdeen, Rue, and later (at their hiding place in a cave) an injured PeetaMellark. Dobby found them there and dispatched the robot WALL-E. With the robot's help and that of singer Darren Criss, who supplied a Horcrux-seeking medallion, Ginny and her team finally succeeded at finding the diary.

The RingAfter quarreling with Cormac and Hermione, Draco departed with his two teammates, Pansy and Fleur, first to Malfoy Manor--but it was empty. While there, a Mockingjay flew into the mansion, indicating that Marvolo Gaunt's ring was to be found in the distant land of Panem, so they Apparated to District 12. There they were met by Gale Hawthorne, who led them to Katniss's little sister Primrose Everdeen; Prim had a cat named Buttercup. But Buttercup turned out to be none other than Professor McGonagall in disguise, who revealed she was responsible for monitoring the magical presence of Panem. On the television meanwhile, they saw the ring on the finger of CaesarFlickerman, the host of the Hunger Games. Draco, Pansy, and Fleur went to the Capitol, where they ingratiated themselves with the tyrannical President Snow. Once inside his mansion, PlutarchHeavensbee revealed himself to the girls as being in rebellion against Snow. When Pansy and Fleur returned to Snow and Draco, Snow chose Fleur to be Flickerman's special guest, so she met with a stylist named Cinna, who claimed to be a wizard. As Flickerman's stylist, Cinna had taken the Gaunt ring from him and now passed it to Fleur, then he covered their escape.

The LocketHermione told her group members Viktor and Cormac that the locket had been stolen by one with the initials R.A.B. They began their search at 12 Grimmauld Place, where Dobby eventually met them. Together, they coaxed the fate of the locket belonging to Regulus Arcturus Black out of the older house-elf Kreacher, who told them all relics from the house had been confiscated by the Ministry of Magic. The three wizards set out to explore London, where they found DoloresUmbridge at Hyde Park. They tailed her to the Ministry but first used Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves before going in--Hermione as Bellatrix Lestrange, Krum as Umbridge, and Cormac as Voldemort himself. They evaded trouble within, but as their disguises began to wear off, Hermione lunged at the real Umbridge, swiping the locket, and the three fled. While Apparating back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Cormac's nose was splinched off. Though Hermione repaired it afterward, he remained self-conscious about his nose for sometime afterward...

The CupDespite Angelina's protests, Fred and George gave more immediate attention to their shop and life's work than to hunting Horcruxes at first. They Apparated to Zonko's in Hogsmeade, but their original mustache disguises weren't sufficient. So Angelina gave them Polyjuice Potion, enabling the Weasley twins to Polyjuice into the Patil twins. They ate at a place served by Greasy Sae from District 12, and the twins secretly put a hair of hers into the remaining Polyjuice Potion, which they injected into Angelina's drink, causing her to transform into Sae. At Zonko's, the three ran into ErnieMacmillan, who gave them a clue about the cup, saying that the Hufflepuff ghost the FatFriar had seen it before. They then went to the Hog's Head to enlist the help of Angelina's Mentor Aberforth Dumbledore. Reluctantly, he agreed to take Mundungus along and help them, and he suggested the help of Jerry Coin, who knew all about ancient artifacts. They found him at the Leaky Cauldron, as well as Fred's unlikely Mentor, Peeves the poltergeist. They infiltrated the vaults underneath Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and Peeves dropped rocks on the dragon guardian as Coin picked up Helga Hufflepuff's cup--which he then tried to take for his own. Katniss appeared out of nowhere to strike him down with an arrow, however, allowing the rest of the group to retrieve the cup, and Peeves then flew them up and out. Along the way, Angelina and George solidified their relationship while Fred took a keen interest in Katniss.

The DiademRon and Hermione got into a row with Lavender while Cho looked on, still getting over the apparent loss of Cedric. After Hermione confirmed her love for Ron, he still allowed Lavender to come with him and Cho, which helped alleviate her mood a bit. Ron asked Luna and Hagrid for tips on the whereabouts of Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, and the latter suggested starting in Knockturn Alley. They used Floo powder to travel but messed up the pronunciation and so ended up in Knock-Her Alley instead, a wizarding red-light district. There they met Finnick Odair, who knew the diadem was in Forks, Washington. So the three went there next, where Carlisle Cullen invited them to join his vampire family in a game of baseball. Their game was interrupted by FenrirGreyback, who'd had his memory wiped by a witch's spell. No longer evil now, he wanted to join the Rebellion and do good. Another werewolf, Jacob Black, showed up to help and became smitten with Cho. Just then Cedric, now revealed as Edward Cullen, arrived, but Jacob wanted Cho to choose him over Edward. Lavender rebuked him, and Cho confessed her love for Cedric/Edward. At that point, the group found Victoria, an enemy of the Cullens' coven, wearing the diadem. When she tried to seduce Cedric/Edward, he beheaded her and took the diadem, then consented to rejoin the Rebellion at Cho's request.

The SnakePadma became very upset with Neville and Hannah after the latter confused her for Parvati and the former's words failed to save the situation. Going into the abandoned Flourish & Blotts, she found a book by Gilderoy Lockhart to help change her appearance--but she accidentally changed herself into an ogre. Hannah and Neville took her to St. Mungo's Hospital. While she was recovering, Hannah attempted to cheer Neville up after seeing the condition of his invalid parents, but he was oblivious to her advances. Frustrated, she ushered Neville back to the Spell Damages ward, where he helped one of the St. Mungo's staff administer an orange potion to Padma that cleared up the last of her skin problem. With her released, the three wizards hitched a ride on the Knight Bus where conductor Stan Shunpike informed them of a snake on board. But instead of Nagini, it turned out to be the Brazilian snake whom Harry had encountered the summer before his first year at Hogwarts. The snake led them to the London Zoo, where Dudley Dursley just happened to be as well. Nagini snuck up behind Harry's cousin, but the Brazilian snake told Dudley (who somehow knew Parseltongue) to side with the wizards. Dudley informed them at once, and Neville conjured the sword of Godric Gryffindor and decapitated Nagini. Hannah and Neville shared a kiss at last as the Brazilian snake led Dudley away, a most unlikely partnership having formed between the two.

The Hallows**Luna was pleased to team up with Harry her first real friend, but not so much with Goyle. The two confiscated an erotic book of fan-fiction from him, then set out for Luna's house where her father Xenophilius Lovegood told them about the Deathly Hallows by immersing them in the "Tale of the Three Brothers," almost like a Pensieve. The demonstration was cut short by the arrival of Snatchers, however. Harry and Luna overcame them, and after Harry's questioning, they revealed that Gellert Grindelwald was transferred out of Nurmengard because it was getting too crowded and was now in custody at Azkaban. Upon arriving at the latter prison, Harry and Luna Transfigured Goyle into a squirrel so he could sneak inside, but they were accosted by a trio of former Nazgul from Middle-earth. They weren't evil, though, and were actually admirers of Harry. Goyle returned to them, whom Luna restored to his human self. As he filled the others in on what he found, the Nazgul led them first to the admissions office and after that to the North Tower, where they parted ways with the Black Riders and approached Grindelwald's cell. He produced the Elder Wand, useless for him since his defeat by Dumbledore, so he passed it to Harry, who already possessed the Invisibility Cloak, and told him Voldemort took the Resurrection Stone, which was attached to Marvolo Gaunt's ring. The three raced back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes where everyone else was waiting for them--and were cheered to find that Draco's team had already succeeded in finding the ring.[**Not a part of The Potter Games: Endgame continuity.]

THE POTTER GAMES: ENDGAMEIn this scenario, Harry, Luna, and Goyle have come up empty on their search for the Deathly Hallows, but they've learned that most of their Mentors and other members of the Order of the Phoenix have been imprisoned at Azkaban (while Grindelwald continues to languish at Nurmengard) during the time the former Tributes hunted for Horcruxes. Returning to their base at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, everyone else has returned from their missions, all six Horcruxes in their possession, with only one of them (the snake) destroyed. Here, twenty-two former Tributes, plus two new allies gained from the Horcrux quests, gather to put an end to the Horcruxes for good and to plan the final phase of the War of Rebellion...

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the gag gift shop owned by twin brothers Fred and George Weasley, is normally a jovial place. Today, however, the atmosphere is somber here in the Rebellion's somewhat unlikely secret headquarters. Six artifacts lie scattered on the smooth tile floor near the back of the shop, the darkness with which they're imbued filling the air with cold and gloom, despite the pleasant May evening outside. Twenty-two young witches and wizards, along with a couple new allies found during their recent adventures, gather around these objects, which lie inert yet potent and dangerous.

And of these twenty-two, none feel the collective malice of the Horcruxes as keenly as Harry Potter, the scar on whose forehead is now pulsing and writhing like something alive, a searing pain in his skull such as he has never felt in his head before.

Another wizard, a boy--no, a young man--takes out a gleaming ancient sword. It's been only hours since Neville Longbottom used this blade, forged by goblins and once wielded by Godric Gryffindor himself, to slay the great snake and personal pet of Lord Voldemort, Nagini. The serpent's headless corpse rests in the center of the pile in front of the former Tributes, but five Horcruxes remain there, potent and active: a black leather-bound diary, a ring mounted with a gleaming black jewel, a golden locket sealed tightly shut, a bejeweled silver crown, and an elegant gold cup adorned with twin ornate handles.

Neville looks the objects over, then turns his attention to the crowd gathered behind him. "We've got to destroy them," he tells them without preamble. "All of them. But I can't do it alone," he adds, a pained expression on his face as he glances back toward the dead snake.

The de facto co-leader of Neville's Rebellion against Voldemort, Luna Lovegood, nods. "It's simple really. Each Horcrux holds its own kind of power, like a symbol." Her wide eyes take in the entire gathering, almost lazily so. "So whoever feels most strongly the call to face an inner darkness, they should be the one to destroy a Horcrux."

The students shift uncomfortably, trading silent glances for a while, before Ginny Weasley suddenly steps forward. "I'll go first." Taking the sword from Neville, she glares at the dark colored book. "I have something of a history with Tom Riddle's diary. If it's all the same to you, I'd like to be shot of it." Her eyes meet Harry's, who is both her inspiration and something... more, and who gives her an encouraging nod. Then holding the blade aloft, she hears whispers, enticing whispers of companionship, promising her every desire, all that she could ever need. Pitiless, however, she drives the sword downward into the diary, piercing cloth, pages, and finally cloth again until it dents the cold, hard floor underneath. A terrible spirit of dread feels unleashed on them all for the blink of an eye before it's just as suddenly gone, and everyone releases the breath they now find they've been collectively holding. She puts the sword down and returns to the group, as ink spills out like blood from between the diary's pages.

As one, both Katie Bell and Draco Malfoy step out next. When they lock eyes and immediately look down toward the locket, it's no real surprise to either that they've happened to come together like this. It was, after all, another type of necklace upon which Draco had placed a deadly curse that had inadvertently landed Katie in the hospital for months and nearly killed her. For her, this is an opportunity to face down her demons of inadequacy, powerlessness, and perceived failures. For him, this is an opportunity to atone for past wrongs, to prove to the others that despite his personal history, he belongs in the fight against the Dark Lord.

Nodding toward the sword, Draco moves to the necklace piece as Katie silently picks up the weapon and advances forward. He whispers a few snatches of Parseltongue that he's had occasion to overhear growing up amongst so many Death Eaters in Malfoy Manor. The locket immediately flings open, and Draco struggles to hold on to it as Katie is nearly blown backward by the full force of Tom Riddle's malignant spirit, her hair whipping around her face in eerily similar fashion to that fateful day in Hogsmeade. She straightens herself and continues forward, her eyes wide with... fear? determination? madness? ...as she struggles against the words of reproach and bitter loathing hammering away at her inner spirit from the awakened Horcrux.

For one terrifying moment, Draco fears that she will use this opportunity to exact revenge for the curse that he'd put on her more than a year ago, but at the last second Katie brings the blade down not on Draco but on the locket, shattering it to pieces and silencing the voices of self-doubt forever. The two are breathing heavily now and face each other after the ordeal is over; she grins encouragingly at him while he wears an abashed smirk on this face. Katie helps Draco back to his feet, and together they blend back in with the crowd.

Next, showing that Gryffindor's sword is meant not just to be wielded by those in his own house, Cho Chang steps forward and picks up the blade, her eyes on the diadem, crown jewel of her own Ravenclaw House. Her struggles the opposite of Katie's, she wrestles with a superiority complex, the temptation to control situations, and a propensity to overlook terrible character flaws if it suits her own purposes (the most disastrous example of which was the whole Marietta Edgecombe incident during the days of Dumbledore's Army).

Approaching the crown, she is shown a flash of images, as alluring as they are terrifying: After bloodshed too swift and manifold to count or fully process, she at last sees herself standing over the corpses of her fellow Tributes and students, and the Dark Lord himself placing the diadem on her head, beckoning her to rule with him forever. Jolted out of her stupor, she then grips the hilt of Gryffindor's sword in both hands, and thrusts downward, slicing the precious diadem neatly in half, each piece oozing a black, bloody substance. "I think," she mutters almost absentmindedly, "there are some fates worse than death."

At once, the now vampire-like being once known as Cedric Diggory, these days called by some Edward Cullen, steps forward, but Cho waves him off. "I'm fine, Cedric," she assures him, "But thank you."

Cedric smiles at her. "And I never doubted you, Cho." His eyes turn toward the glittering onyx ring. "No, I've come to do my part." As she passes the sword to him, he gets a kind of dreamy look in his topaz colored eyes. "The lure of eternal life is one that is enticing to all. If the rumors are true and this ring contains none other than the Resurrection Stone..." his voice trails off, and his face shows a trace of humor as he gazes out upon his assembled comrades and friends. "Then obviously it's up to the one undead person in the group to deal with it, isn't it?" Then with a sudden ferocity that those who've only known him as Cedric are stunned to see, the vampire performs a one-handed slash of superhuman speed and power, and the sound of the Horcrux's death throes are like a thunderclap within the shop itself, shrieking and then falling silent just as swiftly. The others give him a slightly wide berth as he returns to the group with Cho, leaving the sword clanging on the floor.

"So that leaves just the one then," Luna says brightly, as if this were a particularly interesting game of pass the parcel. The rest of the group looks toward the cup of Helga Hufflepuff.

"And I guess," comes the somewhat tremulous voice of Hannah Abbott, "it's up to the last remaining Hufflepuff in the group to take care of it, isn't it?" Taking the encouraging nods and smiles from both Luna and Neville as her cue, she shuffles forward and bends down to pick up the sword of Gryffindor--it's a lot heavier than she thought it'd be.

Grasping the ruby studded hilt with both hands, the feel of its hilt foreign to hands accustomed to Herbology, she creeps slowly up toward the golden cup as if it were a living thing, her hands and legs literally trembling now. The dark presence surrounding the cup becomes thicker the closer she approaches, until it almost feels like a physical barrier between her and her target. The weight of the sword and of her burden causes her to sag until she's practically dragging the blade against the floor. Now only inches from the cup, Hannah collapses onto one knee, tears of despair and futility beginning to stream down her face, the sword slack in her grip. She catches Neville in motion from the corner of her eye, but she shakes her head, waving him off. She then grits her teeth with a second effort, pulling the sword high overhead with all the remaining physical strength left to her, now openly sobbing from the exertion, and brings the weapon crashing down on the cup, splitting it open, sending both handles flying in opposite directions.

The sword clatters noisily to the floor, as Parvati Patil moves in to catch Hannah in mid-collapse. The latter looks back at the others, the tears still apparent on her face, sniffles, and forces a small laugh. "That..." Hannah begins, "that was a lot harder than it looked!" She staggers to her feet, thanks Parvati, and immediately gives herself over to Neville's embrace as he rushes in to enfold her in his arms.

In their wake, six previously dangerous objects of the foulest dark magic lie in a useless heap, never to disturb a living soul again--nor to house that most broken of souls, Lord Voldemort.

As the last of the setting sun's rays filter through the windows of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, lengthening the shadows all around them, Harry Potter steps forward out of the crowd, along with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the trio surveying the damage in the back of the shop where the Horcruxes now lie in ruins, forever emptied of their power. "Well, that's it then," Ron says, the eagerness apparent in his voice. "That's all the Horcruxes. Now we can go after You-Know-Who, be done with all this fighting! What are we waiting for?"

"I'm afraid it's not quite that easy, Ron," Hermione admonishes him. At the blank look on his face, she continues: "Even if Voldemort is--oh, seriously, Ron!" she interjects after he cringes at that name. "As I was saying, he may be mortal now, but he's still surrounded by a massive army of powerful Dark wizards. We'll have to get past them in order to get at the Dark Lord himself."

"Hermione's right," Harry puts in. "We still have a lot of enemies left... and a definite shortage of allies. Just look around this room for starters."

Twenty-four Tributes were sent into the Arena for the so-called Potter Games, but only twenty-two now remain, the whereabouts and ultimate fate of the other two still a mystery. The original Tributes now gathered here all look as if they're about to participate in some great Quidditch match, still attired in their House robes from the Games. The Gryffindors had of course Transfigured the attacking snake out of their uniform logos shortly after escaping the Arena, leaving a lion standing proudly alone against a backdrop of scarlet red. The Ravenclaws stand tall in royal blue robes, the Slytherins in emerald green, and Hannah Abbott the Hufflepuff in golden yellow (Cedric Diggory alone has discarded his Games uniform for a black vampire's cloak instead). Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum remain arrayed in Beauxbatons pale blue and Durmstrang bloodred, respectively.

Even though this sizable gathering has gained two new allies from beyond the wizarding world during the Horcrux hunt, seemingly in place of the two Tributes lost during the Games, the absence of their Mentors is one that hasn't gone unnoticed. Harry turns to face the group directly.

"As I think you know," he continues, "while the rest of you were sent out to hunt down the Horcruxes, Luna Lovegood, Gregory Goyle, and I searched for information on the Deathly Hallows. We heard of rumors that Marvolo Gaunt's ring may or may not contain the Resurrection Stone, but I don't reckon we found out much else about the other Hallows." He pauses to take a breath, then pushes on. "But what you may not know is that during our quest, we stumbled on some valuable information regarding our Mentors and the Order of the Phoenix. It turns out most of them have been captured by the Ministry of Magic and are being held prisoner in Azkaban for their part in the sedition against Voldemort's government." Many faces are crestfallen at this news.

"Between finding the missing Tributes, freeing our Mentors and the Order, and taking out key Death Eaters, I'm afraid we still have plenty to do before we can go after him and end this war." Harry forces a sympathetic smile as he continues to address his fellow students. "You have all been amazing so far, between banding together to make sure we escaped from the Arena, and then especially finding all the Horcruxes. All of you have played a crucial role in getting us this far, and I couldn't possibly ask any more of you. Everything we do from here on out will be exceedingly dangerous. So if you want to volunteer and help us in this final leg of the war, we could definitely use you. But if you feel like you've already done enough and wish to return home to your families, please by all means--no one will hold it against you."

The words hang in the air for but a moment before Ron claps him on the shoulder. "Well mate, you know you won't be able to keep me away even if you tried." And when Hermione drapes an arm around Ron's neck and beams at Harry, he knows that she's fully on board too.

"You're mad if you think for a moment I'm going to sit this out, Harry Potter!" Ginny Weasley comes and stands by Harry's other side, her eyes filled with equal parts admiration and determination.

"And as you know, we Weasleys," begins George...

"...come as a package deal," finishes Fred.

Neville Longbottom comes up alongside the Weasley twins. "Luna and I started this Rebellion," he says, looking at Luna, who nods serenely at him. "And we're determined to see it through to the end!" Hannah Abbott moves forward to entwine her arm around Neville's and signals her commitment to the cause.

"Well, Potter," comes the drawling voice of Draco Malfoy, "it just wouldn't be right if we let you get all the credit for winning this war, would it? We Slytherins have connections that will prove vital to our victory." Goyle, who's only ever known to follow Draco's lead, is immediately at his side. Pansy Parkinson takes a moment, but after wrinkling her nose a bit, she finally steps forward and nods tersely at the other volunteers. The three of them stand together, former adversaries, now full-fledged allies.

And so one by one, each person in the room steps forward to join with Harry Potter and the others, vowing to bring Voldemort and his minions to justice: Gryffindors, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, as well as those from beyond Hogwarts, and last of all the Muggle girl named Katniss Everdeen, slinging her bow over her shoulder and signaling her readiness.

By the end, the group stands united, twenty-four strong, ready for war. No one is inclined to look back now.

Harry feels a sudden surge of affection for nearly everyone present after this show of solidarity. "I... I never expected this. Thank you, just thank you, all of you. I don't have to tell you how incredibly dangerous this is going to be--but I know better than to think that will deter you.

"So if you are still determined to defeat Lord Voldemort... then put together your teams and choose your assignment!"

Quest 5: Greyback [TBD]Voldemort's werewolf minion Fenrir Greyback has reverted back to his evil ways after a brief stint with the Rebellion. Now Cho and the former Triwizard Tournament champions must redeem him... or destroy him!

Quest 6: Bellatrix [TBD]Bellatrix Lestrange leads Voldemort's forces in the final assault on Hogwarts. Hannah and another new ally join rebel leaders Neville and Luna in the penultimate battle!

Quest 7: Voldemort [TBD]At last, join the heroic trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they uncover the mystery of the Deathly Hallows and lead the surviving Tributes and Mentors into a climactic showdown with the Dark Lord himself!

Alright, I'm a day later than expected on this, but here's how these Quests will work on this thread:

Each Friday (or Saturday) I'll post a scene, at the end of which is a choice between A and B. One of those will be the right answer that moves the plot forward and the other a wrong answer that will result in failure for the protagonists. This is of course easier to do on a choose-your-adventure website designed for that purpose (since both answers link to the subsequent result). For the purposes of this thread, after the scene is posted on a Friday/Saturday, I'll then post the wrong answer on Wednesday and the accompanying dead-end scene. Then the Friday of that week, I'll post the correct answer that moves the plot forward. And on it will go. (Also on Wednesday I'll underline the correct answer.)

Hopefully that makes sense. I promise it will make sense as we go along!

Scene 1 is coming just a little bit later today. (I'm getting the post ready now.)

Driven along more by curiosity than anything else, you wander down the various the aisles, ascend and descend the stairs and simply try to take in the bewildering array of items and their peculiar names.

Patented Daydream Charms.

Skiving Snackboxes.

U-No-Poo.

Edible Dark Marks.

Ten-Second Pimple Vanishers.

Miraphorous Magic Sets.

Box 'O' Rockets.

Extendable Ears.

"I might as well be back in the Capitol again," you mutter to yourself, unable to peel your eyes away from the sheer excessiveness and inanity of the joke products lining dozens of shelves across multiple floors.

Before being reaped for the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, the only shop that you'd frequented was the Hob back home in District 12, a black market place for the selling of wares and food. There aren't much in the way of luxury items or frivolous gifts in the Seam, after all. Where you're from, people spend money primarily to survive.

As such, it's hard to be particularly impressed with an undertaking like this one.

Finally pulling your gaze away from the absurd merchandise, your eyes find the various magicians mulling around, whose group you've somehow managed to befriend in recent days. You recognize right off Ginny Weasley with her fiery red hair, who's talking to the bespectacled leader of this group, whom you remember is named Harry Potter. Of everyone you've met so far, you feel like Ginny is a sort of kindred spirit. Farther back, you see the other two magician girls you met in the Arena's cave, Katie Bell and Parvati Patil. You notice, idly, that this latter has a twin sister, wearing blue instead of the red that adorns her twin and most of the others.

You turn away before anyone can make eye contact with you. Almost afraid that they can read your mind--after all, they do seem to have plenty of other powers--you pull your thoughts close within yourself.

It's been at least a day (maybe two? three?) since you were in the Arena, inside your hiding cave with Peeta Mellark, Rue, and the three magician girls--plus a few other strange visitors who came in later. One of them... transported (you have no other way to describe it) you to another place somehow. You were soon whisked away to some underground vault, where you slew a traitor making off with the golden cup that these wizards had thought so important.

That same cup was one of five knickknacks that the wizards collected together here and destroyed not even an hour ago. They made out like this was some huge, momentous event, but you can't figure out for the life of you why.

You've heard a lot of talk about a Dark Lord in this world who sounds like a magical analogue to Panem's President Snow. You don't know what all the hubbub is about magical treasures and all, but you figure a well-placed arrow in this Dark Lord's heart ought to take care of him more efficiently than any incantation or ritual. But hey, this is their war, not yours. Let them fight their world's injustices on their own terms, you say.

This leads you to wonder again why you agreed to help these magicians with their war when Harry called for volunteers. You try to tell yourself it wasn't just so you'd be the only one who declined to step forward. After all, as much as you hate to admit it, you know that you're going to have to return to the Arena sooner or later. You don't exactly know what it is that's going on between you and Peeta, whether your act as star-crossed lovers from District 12 is really an act or something more, but regardless, you can't just leave him there to fend for himself when there's a possibility for two victors to emerge from the same district this year. You feel an equally fierce protectiveness for young, innocent Rue as well, so much like your little sister.

Which then leads your thoughts to wander back home. You think of Prim first of all, then Gale, Madge, all the people of District 12, even your mother. They need you. And having not seen you on their television screens in at least forty-eight hours, you know they must be starting to worry. And you don't even want to think of what the Gamemakers might do if they realize that you've truly escaped the Arena.

If you're going to help Peeta, Rue, and your friends and family back home, you look around and realize you can find no better allies than the people in this place, with all the strange powers and skills that they hold. That, and since after all it was three of them who were responsible for getting you out of the Arena in the first place, you figure you owe it to these people to help them in some form or fashion.

You bite your lip. You hate owing people.

Still lost in your thoughts, you barely notice two of them walking toward you right now, your friend Ginny with a less familiar looking boy of athletic build following along behind her, his hand idly rubbing his nose.

"Hi, Katniss. How're you?"

"Still alive," you answer. "Good to see you again, Ginny."

"Listen, I'm not sure if you've met yet, but this is Cormac McLaggen," she says, indicating the boy behind her. "McLaggen, this is Katniss Everdeen."

"Good evening, good looking!" he steps forward, taking your hand before you can respond and raising it to his mouth for a kiss. "If you're as good with that Muggle weapon as your face is at being gorgeous, then I'd say our Rebellion is in very good hands indeed," he says, taking your hand in both of his.

You already don't like him.

Promptly removing your hand from his grip, you return your attention to Ginny. "So do you have a plan for removing your dictator, Voldy-whatever-his-name-is, from power?"

"Like Harry said, we're at a severe disadvantage currently. Right now, some of us are going out to search for old allies who've gone missing. One of them, a boy my age named Colin Creevey, would've last been seen at the Arena."

"Apparently what happened," Cormac cuts in, unable to keep the attention away from himself, "is he Polyjuiced into Professor Snape, while Snape took his place in the Arena. We don't know what happened to poor Creevey after that, but I've been thinking, here's what we're going to do. First..."

You nod thoughtfully as he blusters on, pretending to understand what the hell poly-juices are or who this Snape teacher is. You notice Cormac's hand had promptly returned to the faint scar on his nose at the word "poly juice" and decide to file that mental note away for later. In general, you try to avoid eye contact with him. Cormac reminds you just a bit too much of another cocky, strong willed, athletic boy you've encountered in the recent past: Cato.

"The point," Ginny cuts across him, "is that the Arena is our best lead right now for finding Colin. And having spent more time in there than any of the rest of us, we'd like you to help us search the place for clues. In return, we're prepared to ensure that you and both of your friends can escape from the Games for good."

"And let's not forget the most important aspect of this plan," Cormac says. You both look at him blankly. "Namely the leadership of a skilled, powerful, and inestimably good-looking wizard, one who's willing to help you, young Everdeen."

"Oh," you answer, "So you'll be the leader of this expedition then, Ginny?" She can't help but let out a snort at your jab at Cormac, who for a moment looks genuinely surprised that you don't share his lofty impressions of himself.

You see them both taken aback, but Ginny simply nods, seeming to accept your judgment.

"You two use your magical abilities or whatever is you do to get inside. I know you've done it before. Me, I'll scope the place out on my own." You figure the more discrete you are about this, the less chance of detection by Gamemakers. And sauntering into the Arena with a pair of strangers at your side would be anything but discrete.

You part ways and make your way up the street, through a strange pub, and out into the city the magicians call London (you're not exactly familiar with the geography outside your continent of Panem). From the city, you strike out into the countryside and then into strange lands beyond. You quickly despair of ever finding the Arena or your magician friends this way, however.

Days pass--you're not sure how many. All you know is that after one particularly arduous day of hard traveling, you awaken the following morning to find yourself on the edge of a rather idyllic small town: cupped in a hollow between three hills, one hill crested by the ruins of an old church-like structure, as a thin river snakes through the town, straddled by a stone bridge.

Arriving there, you find the town is called Pagford, and there's a great fuss going on about the death of a certain Barry Fair-something-or-other, and a casual vacancy that he's left. The squabbling of the locals doesn't interest you a bit, though.

Moving on a bit further from the town, you come to a series of run down houses that one heavily accented girl--wearing large earrings and a ponytail, and smoking--calls "the Fields," which reminds you so much of the Seam back home. Here, you think you've found people who you relate to, whom you can help.

It's all well and good you've found a new cause, but now that you've abandoned Panem and the wizarding world both, the Rebellion is at an end!

The story will continue with Answer A leading into Scene 2 this weekend.

"Of course," you reply, taking Ginny's hand in a firm grip. "Count me in." Cormac is extending his hand to yours as well when you turn away from him and toward the shop exit, slinging your orange backpack over your shoulder along with your quiver. "What's the plan?"

"Apparate there, go in and... well, just look around, I guess." Ginny looks a little bashful. "We haven't exactly thought it through all the way yet."

"The first place we'll go," you say, "is to the cave. I've left Peeta and Rue there too long. I need to check on them."

You look at him and don't even bother to hide your revulsion. "She's twelve." You're pleased to see his face turn the same shade of scarlet as his robes.

"Twelve?" Ginny breathes. "They're putting children as young as twelve in your Games!?" She looks like she wants to simultaneously cry and kill someone.

"I hadn't any idea Rue is so young," she goes on, sorrow in her eyes. Ginny had met Rue previously at the same time she met you of course. "Merlin's beard, and this practice has been going on for decades too!" A pause as she thinks, then continues. "Of course we'll go to the cave first. And we'll get your friends out of the Arena first thing before we look for Colin."

You shake your head. "Thanks, but don't count them out so fast. Peeta is very loyal and won't willingly leave me in the Arena even if he has a chance at securing his own safety. He also has uncanny camouflage skills and arm strength that could be useful. Even Rue is proving to be one of the most crafty people I've ever met. That girl's a born tracker. They'll both want to tag along, I bet."

The three of you step out of the store into the empty street. "Well, what are we waiting on then?" Cormac asks, saying the first sensible thing you've heard from him all evening.

"Right," says Ginny, grabbing his arm with one hand and going for your arm with her other. You aren't quite successful at hiding your trepidation. "I know it feels horrible, Katniss, especially to Muggles who aren't used to it, but we've got to Disapparate. The Arena is a very long distance away from here, and we need to get there quickly."

When you see Cormac starting to disengage from Ginny presumably to come to your side and comfort you, your mind is made up, and you quickly link arms with her and nod your readiness to go.

"Okay, McLaggen, take us away!" she says, putting him back into position and grabbing his arm. "Afraid I don't have my Apparating license yet," she adds to you, as an aside.

You squeeze your eyes shut just before you feel the rest of your body squeezing in on itself, a feeling as if your arms have been shoved back into their sockets and your legs up into your torso. As your rib cage smashes against your heart and lungs, and your very face threatens to crush your skull, you can neither move, scream, breathe, or even think. There is only the nano-moment's agony of asphyxiated compression before it's just as suddenly over, the three of you standing in a marginally familiar wilderness while your breakfast forces your stomach into sloshing acrobatics en route to your esophagus.

Cormac strides over past Ginny up to you, steadying you with a hand on your shoulder. "See? Wizard travel's not so bad, is it Everdeen?" He flashes you what you're sure he thinks is an award-winning smile. Your stomach in upheaval, you smile right back and promptly spew the contents of your breakfast all over his shoes.

"Oh--sorry about that," you feign a stammer. "How clumsy!"

"Wha--" He's uncharacteristically at a loss for words. "Bloody hell, Everdeen!" Seeing his indignation--and his clothing--you almost feel bad for him. Almost. "What was that for?!" Ginny just rolls her eyes at you two.

Cormac extracts his magic stick that they call a wand, and you watch with some degree of amazement as your vomit leaves his shoes and pants legs, seeming to retreat into the wand itself. Half a minute later, his shoes are looking quite polished.

"Did you, uh, did you just suck my vomit into your wand?"

"Not quite," Ginny answers for him. "Scouring Charm, or 'Scourgify,' we call it. The upchuck isn't actually inside his wand. He just cleaned it up with magic, is all."

Cormac simply glares at you. "I'm impressed," you tell him, and you mean it. His face relaxes at this, a little bit anyway.

The three of you look around to take in your new surroundings. You're in a thinly wooded area, filled with tall grasses lit by the stars and moon in the night sky overhead. You see the other two put cloaks on over their robes--you'd forgotten how cold it gets here after dark. You extract your own black jacket and focus on the task at hand.

The Arena for the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games. You're back at the one place you never wanted to be in the first place. But it doesn't look quite like anywhere in the Arena that you've yet visited. Moreover, a slight shimmering of light in the air in front of you confirms your suspicions.

You turn to Ginny in confusion. "Why are we outside? Weren't we supposed to arrive within the Arena? Did something go wrong?"

"No, this is right. It's too dangerous just to magically show up inside the Arena. We have no idea what's happening in there, nor about how the Gamemakers would take to finding three new figures on their chess board so suddenly."

"You magicians actually play chess?"

"We do actually. My youngest brother is really quite good at it."

"So how are we breaking in, Weasley?" Cormac interjects, and you daresay he looks uncomfortable at the mention of Ginny's brother. Another note to add to your mental file.

"There should be a seam," you answer for her, your eyes studying the barely visible barrier. "If we can find an anomaly in the barrier, that should be pretty close to where the seam is in the electronic field that functions as the Arena's boundary."

"Whatever the bloody hell that means," he mutters under his breath.

"Admittedly," Ginny adds, "the hole was easier to find the last time I came here, when it was daylight." Signaling to Cormac, they both get out their wands.

"There!" you point at a place about ten feet above your head, to a square of lightly shimmering air. "Getting up there will be a different challenge, though."

"Leave that to us," Ginny tells you. Together, she and Cormac focus beams of energy at the seam with their wands. A final incantation and flick of their wrists succeed at blowing a hole where you'd found the break in the barrier.

"So what do we do now?" you ask. Next, their wands are pointed at you. "Right. I should've seen that coming."

Slowly, your booted feet leave the grass as the ground gradually shrinks beneath you. You feel exhilarated--and a little bit terrified--at your weightless, controlled flight toward the hole in the Arena. You orient your body to fit through headfirst into the now more conspicuous hole. Once inside, you're gracefully lowered toward the forest floor. Gingerly, your feet make contact with the earth.

You look up toward the break in the air, and a minute later, you see a figure descending to your position, her fiery red hair flowing like flames in the moonlight. Ginny drops onto her feet in front of you.

You're unable to resist saying out loud what you've been thinking this whole time: "So why exactly is he--" you gesture to the Arena's boundary where Cormac is, lowering your voice, "why are we taking him with us on this mission anyway?"

"Why not? We need all the help we can get. And you've already seen that he's capable of the same kinds of magic that I am."

"Yeah, but..." You struggle to put your misgivings into words.

"Besides," she continues, looking up, "he possesses more than just magical abilities." Out of the treetops above, you see another figure descending in rapid free fall. You're about to go for your bow when the figure hits the ground at a roll and uses his momentum to somersault back to his feet. Cormac McLaggen flashes his most endearing smile to you and Ginny as the dust settles around him.

"Good evening, ladies! I believe we have a cave to find, haven't we?"

"That we do," you say, shrugging off your unspoken objections and coming alongside him, Ginny behind you. "I hear the stream's running waters over that way." You indicate a point off to your right. "If we follow it, we should be able to reach the cave soon enough."

Ginny studies her wand. "It's awfully dark in this forest. Should we risk a little light?"

"Bad idea," you answer. "Even small lights would function as little more than beacons for the most ruthless Tributes hiding in the Arena." You look overhead. "It's a clear night tonight. Let's rely on the moonlight and just walk carefully." Still, you wish you'd thought to bring those night vision glasses with you that had been so useful earlier in the Games.

"But there is one thing our magic can be useful for." Cormac points his wand at his feet, whispers, "Muffliato," and then does the same for you and Ginny. As you step forward, you can't hear even the faintest trace of your boot scuffing against soil or grass. You smile. It's a bit like hunting with Gale back home, with his silent tread.

Your group makes its way with uncanny quietness through the forest, the nighttime noises of woodland creatures all the more conspicuous in the absence of footsteps. Your eyes long since adjusted to the darkness, you study a stray thrush flying to and fro nearly directly overhead between the trees--you're trying not to notice Cormac, who keeps gawking at you and your bow.

"So that weapon of yours," he begins, "are you any good with--" His question is cut off when you immediately unsling the bow and notch an arrow in one smooth motion, the next instant letting it fly, your arrow imbedding itself within the thrush's plump orange belly half a moment later, which then drops almost thirty feet with a quiet thud right at Cormac's feet.

"I'm all right," you say. Both Ginny and Cormac have stopped dead in their tracks as you continue on.

"Katniss! That was positively brilliant," you hear Ginny exclaim as she rushes up alongside you, Cormac soon catching up behind her.

You quickly shush her as you round a bend in the stream, and the mouth of your cave comes into view. It's not the cave itself that causes you alarm. It's the silhouette of a person you see outside the cave--and coming your way.

It's too tall to be Rue, and you know Peeta is too injured to be able to move on his own like that. Your bow still at the ready, you see Ginny and Cormac crouch on either side of you, both of their wands out. The question is, do you even risk giving this intruder a chance to explain him- or herself?

When the stakes are this high, you can't afford to take chances. Ignoring Ginny's pleas to "Wait!" you notch an arrow and take aim. You're only going to hit the intruder's shoulder after all, a nonlethal blow.

But it's dark, and the trees overhead in this part of the forest shroud the moonlight. In your overconfidence, your aim is just off--and you hit the mysterious figure's chest, dead center.

Immediately you hear the groaning--and your insides freeze up on hearing how familiar the voice belonging to those groans is. "Peeta!?" you call in desperation, throwing your bow to the ground and sprinting the distance between you two.

Ginny and Cormac follow quickly in your wake. "Lumos!" she calls, and suddenly the ground beneath you is illuminated as though from a flashlight.

And that's when you see him, the arrow in his heart, blood continuing to spread across his chest, drenching his shirt a deep, horrible red. Already he's heaving, barely hanging on. "Peeta, oh Peeta!" you cry, immediately taking his hand. You want more than anything to apologize, but you can't find the words for the enormity of what you've done. You don't even want to think of the people watching back home, of Prim watching you butcher an ally from District 12.

He looks at you for just a moment, and you can't tell if you see accusation in his eyes, forgiveness, or something else, for the next moment his eyes become glossy and vacant. You drop his hand.

Not only did you lose your closest ally in the Arena and possible future husband, but without Peeta Mellark's assistance, the Rebellion is at an end!

The story will continue with Answer B leading into Scene 3 this weekend.

As the figure moves carefully closer, you reluctantly lower your bow and signal to your companions to do the same. Ginny obeys immediately, but Cormac looks too much like he wants to impress you still. You forcefully lower his wand.

"Peeta!" you say, standing up from your hiding place and visibly relaxing your taut muscles. Ginny and Cormac stand too.

"Katniss reunited with her boyfriend at last," Ginny remarks with a glad smile.

You're about to correct her and say that he's not really your boyfriend and explain the complicated nature of your relationship since you were both reaped and the star-crossed lover act it's been necessary to maintain in order to gain sponsors and stay alive. But when you see that Ginny was directing this statement at Cormac, you keep your mouth shut and instead run to Peeta, throwing yourself into his wholehearted embrace and surprising him by planting your lips squarely on his. You make the kiss long, protracted, and passionate before gradually pulling away. "I've missed you." There is nothing feigned in this statement, though.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Peeta looks pained now that you can see his face in the starlight, but it has nothing to do with physical injuries. Had he missed you even more than you thought, or has something else happened as well?

You gesture to the two magicians behind you. "Ginny you already know. The boy is Cormac McLaggen. Cormac, this is Peeta Mellark." Whereas Cormac saw you as a potential date when he first shook your hand, he obviously sees Peeta more as a competitor. The latter, for his part, hardly seems to notice Cormac at all as their hands release.

Peeta leads the three of you into the small cave. You notice both that he hasn't so much as limped this whole time and that the cave you enter is empty. He sits and you crouch before him, the other two remaining standing by the cave's mouth, almost as if keeping watch.

"You're certainly looking healthier than the last time I saw you. When I left this place the other day, you couldn't even get up!"

"Right, Katie and Parvati. Please, tell them thank you for me. I'm as good as new, like my leg was never hurt in the first place."

Ginny nods appreciatively. "Parvati is a natural healer, just coming into her own since our own Reaping. And while Katie was confined to hospital last year, she got interested in magical medical practice and has even spoken of joining the staff at St. Mungo's Hospital someday after this war is over."

You keep studying Peeta's face, and you can't help but think there's some inner anguish that he hasn't let on about yet. Rue's absence in this cave is starting to feel more and more conspicuous. "So if you're feeling fine physically, then what's wrong?"

His eyes dart to yours. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong!"

You stare him down and force him to look you in the eye. "Peeta, where's Rue?"

Now he faces the cave floor, and he can no longer keep his eyes dry. "They got her, Katniss," he gets out in a choked whisper.

"No..." The walls of the cave suddenly seem oppressive and the ground sways beneath you--you have to press a hand against the wall to keep yourself upright.

"Wait, you mean that twelve-year-old girl?" Cormac asks in alarm.

Peeta's words come out in a rush. "Sometime after the wizard girls healed me and left the Arena, Rue and I went out hunting for food. But they were waiting for us, Katniss. The Careers, you know, Cato and them. They set an ambush."

Your eyes are wide but stare blankly at some point past Peeta's face, your hand now gripping his shoulder. "Cato," you say, a cold curiosity in your voice.

"No, not Cato," Peeta says, speaking quickly. "Or I don't know. It might've been Clove. I couldn't see! All I know is we were walking along, I was in front, when all of a sudden, I feel something on my ankle and I'm being yanked up high above the ground, hanging upside-down in a net. I could hear Rue yelling my name, could hear the others taunting her. All four of them were there. I had a knife on me I used to cut myself free, but not before I heard her let out this terrible scream. And I saw her lying on the ground, blood all around her. I couldn't do anything for her anymore, don't you see Katniss, so I had to get out of there. I was barely able to escape and disguise myself before they could find me. Then I heard the cannon fire..."

By this point, Peeta can say no more, and starts weeping silently into his forearm. You reel backward, recoiling as if from a physical blow, as Ginny crouches beside him, putting her face against his and a hand on his head. Cormac, meanwhile, squats in a corner, his head in his hands. Your voice is detached, monotone, as you ask, "So you left her? You didn't go back for her body?"

"I did, I tried, but by the time the coast was clear, the Gamemakers had already taken her." He gathers himself for a moment, then resumes. "I went back to the place where she died, all the blood cleaned up and everything. But I was determined to do something for her, you know? So I built her a memorial, right there in the field where it happened, just at the border of the forest, you know, in sight of the Cornucopia."

Recalling Peeta's profession as a baker's son, you know his skill at designing things and believe that he would go all out for Rue's memorial. You also know that in the Hunger Games' bleak history, such a momentous thing has never been done for another Tribute before. With one simple gesture of compassion and grief, Peeta has defied the Gamemakers in their own Arena. "It's all my fault, Katniss," he murmurs over and over again. "My fault... If I'd just paid more attention, if I'd gotten my knife out faster, if I--"

"No, Peeta," you tell him, the heat returning to your voice. "You did the best you could. You couldn't have prevented this. And for going back and building--for building that, that--" Words fail you. You want to tell Peeta how proud you are of him for the stand that he took, that Rue's death is really your fault for leaving her behind in this awful Arena while you went on adventures with magicians. The calamity of it all comes crashing down on you like an avalanche, and you collapse to your knees, bawling without restraint. Gingerly, Peeta enfolds you in his arms as Ginny backs away, and the two of you give full vent to your grief.

Time passes. You're not sure how much time, minutes perhaps. Or hours. Your tears--and Peeta's--have dried, and now you simply hold each other in silence. Ginny and Cormac approach slowly, and she says, "Listen, Katniss, Peeta, we can get you both out of this Arena so you can return home. I completely understand if you feel the need to be released from our mission. You've already done more than you needed to in helping us to find the Horcruxes and then getting us back inside here."

You stand up immediately, your voice cold. "I'm not going anywhere until the Careers are dead, all four of them. They will pay for what they've done!"

"Careers?" Cormac asks, and you suddenly remember that was also what the magicians called those people in their group who wore the green robes, the ones who kept more to themselves than the others.

"Yeah," Peeta replies. "Cato and Clove from District Two. And the pair from District One."

"Raised for warfare and killing from the time they're old enough to hold a weapon. They train for the Games and happily volunteer in order to satisfy their bloodlust and win prestige for their already well-off districts." You let the contempt show in your voice. "Far more dangerous than the mere snobs you all called Careers back at the clown shop."

You see Peeta wrinkle his brow in confusion at the term "clown shop," but it's Cormac who replies: "I don't know about that. The Slytherin lot come from Death Eater families--they grow up all around the Dark Arts, practicing magic worse than you can imagine. Some have even trained personally with You-Know-Who himself." He tries to suppress a shudder and fails. "If they weren't on our side, I don't think you'd want to see what folks like Malfoy might be capable of if pushed to it."

A retort is on your lips when Ginny moves in between you and Cormac. "It doesn't matter," she says. "The Slytherin Careers are on our side now and moreover on their own quest even as we stand here and quarrel. But Colin remains imprisoned somewhere, and I suspect we're going to have to get through those Muggle Careers if we're to search this place for clues."

Grabbing your orange backpack and bow from the floor, you say, "Good. With the four of them dead, you'll have a much easier time finding whatever you need."

"Wait, I think we should keep them alive." You stare daggers at Peeta. He continues undaunted. "Think about it. If that young wizard is trapped somewhere in this Arena, who is our best source of information about the inner workings of this place? Wouldn't it make sense that the Tributes from the districts in the Capitol's closest confidence might know something?"

"My thoughts exactly," says Ginny, who beams at Peeta. "We need to get a hold of one of these Tributes and get whatever information we can out of them. Then..." She tries to meet your eyes but can't. "Well, I guess we could decide what to do with them later."

"And do you really think Clove or one of the others is just going to tell us whatever we want? Or if they did, that they'd tell us the truth? If they even know anything at all!" You throw up your hands in exasperation.

"C'mon Katniss," Peeta soothes. "How are we helping Rue's memory by turning into murderers like the Careers? Isn't that exactly what the Capitol wants? But if we can help these two save their friend, then she wouldn't have died for nothing."

You're not convinced, but you don't have any more objections either. "Fine. But if we're going to do this, we're going to do it my way."

"What do you have in mind?" Ginny asks.

"Stick close--and get those wands of yours ready. I've got a plan."

---

The silent forest, previously enshrouded in the darkness of a still night, is now lit up as in daylight--but there is no sun illuminating the forest. Everywhere, as far as you can see, fires rage, engulfing everything. Flames as tall as the trees they consume fill the forest. The quiet sounds of woodland creatures in the night have been replaced by roaring fire, by crackling, splitting branches that can no longer support their loads, crashing into fiery ruin. This entire section of forest is catching fire.

You look down into the stream where you currently stand in ankle-deep water. The inferno raging above you is perfectly mirrored in the water beneath you, turning the entire creek alive. You, Katniss Everdeen, "the girl who was on fire," look as if you're standing in a river of molten lava.

Taking yet another arrow, lighting the tip with fire, you notch your bow and shoot the fireball into the still growing maelstrom.

"I'm still not sure about this!" Peeta yells from right next to you in order to be heard above the blaze. He's got one foot on top of a hefty boulder in the creek bed, ready to lift and throw it if there's trouble. "Doing this so close to our cave... I mean, there goes our cover, you know?"

"Yes, I know," you respond. You've been over this already. "I don't intend to use it anymore." You turn to face him. "I'm done hiding. One way or another, we're going to end this."

Looking behind you to a tall, dried out riverbank, you see Ginny in her hiding place behind it, a furious blast of flame emerging from the end of her wand, her face full of concentration. You look back a little farther and see Cormac, ever the daring one, crouching in his own hiding place in the midst of some fiery underbrush, adding fuel to the fire and trusting in his own magical abilities to keep the flames off of him.

"Alright, you two!" you call behind you. "We've got enough fire. Time for some lightning!"

As one, Ginny and Cormac hoist their wands high overhead as powerful energy erupts from their tips, brightening this swath of forest even more than the flames. It's not lightning exactly that's fired into the sky, though it certainly looks enough like it. Both beams blast skyward, and carefully the two magicians begin to move their arms in very peculiar but precise motions as massive, luminously white letters begin to appear in midair overhead, illuminating the sky and eclipsing even the light of the moon. By the time they're finished, you look up and examine their handiwork.

More to the point, you read it:

GAMEOVER

This is your message, not just to the Careers, but to the Gamemakers, to the Capitol as a whole, and to President Snow himself.

You know that every camera in the Arena is focused on you now, that you and your act of rebellion are being played out on every television set in every district throughout Panem. Let them watch, you think.

You think back to that hapless girl from District 8 who lit a fire for herself in the woods, unwittingly sending an open invitation to the Careers. You gaze at the flaming destruction you've wrought all around you and know that you've gone far beyond an invitation. This is a declaration of war.

"It's done, Katniss," Ginny calls behind you, the sweat pouring down her face, either from exhaustion, the heat--or both. "But don't you think the Careers will suspect a trap?"

"I'm counting on it," you come back, locking eyes with her. "They've probably grown bored and been wondering where I've been. They have to figure I've been up to something and are probably eager to see what they're up against." You return your gaze straight ahead. "On their own, one or two might be cautious or crafty. All together, though? They're arrogant. They live for challenges like this."

With the magicians' help, you have crafted your own domain of destruction within the Arena. Pillars of flame reach high overhead and arch over, illuminating the watery path beneath, turning it to bright orange, the blaze stretching ahead as far as the eye can see. You and Peeta stand in the center of it all, golden gods of destruction, the inferno your throne room, where your challengers will have to hold court with you and suffer your mercy. Your first edict has already been proclaimed high overhead, on the same stretch of sky where previously the Capitol's seal would play before showing the faces of the day's dead. Now, you have declared, in words visible throughout the entire Arena, the Games themselves are dead. And all of Panem knows it.

Cinna must be proud, you think.

Meanwhile, as you see four silhouettes approach in the distance dead ahead, you realize your first challengers have come--and they've come onto your turf. As the unmistakable figures of Tributes, both from Districts 1 and 2, come into view, the Careers having entered your makeshift throne room at last, you leave your bow hanging loose at your side, take Peeta's hand, and stride forward to meet your adversaries. You have successfully led the Careers straight into hell itself. Now comes judgment.

Clove steps forward first, followed by Cato soon afterward, who looks at you both as if he's about to be treated to the most delicious meal of his life. Clove glances at their pyrotechnic surroundings, condescension dripping from her voice as she says, "Oh very nice setup you have here, 'girl on fire.' Did you get that drunk mentor of yours to help you burn the whole forest down so you have nowhere to hide now?"

"You have information," Peeta addresses the four of them. "You know more about the inner workings of this Arena than we do. Working together, we can make a way out of here without any further bloodshed."

The Careers gawk at him, and the boy from District 1 just starts laughing. Cato doesn't even smile. "We let you join us once, Lover Boy," the latter tells Peeta, his voice full of venom. "The next time we join together with you will be when we're dragging your pathetic corpse out of here."

Clove has grown downright pouty. "Oh, can we please stop all this talking already? It's so boring." Her eyes glint at you, full of murder. "I'm ready for the games to begin."

You say nothing but continue to stare her down, not even blinking. As swift and sure as a Gamemaker's cannon, you see her hand reach for a knife within her jacket and know that the time of reckoning has come, even as she's rearing back to throw it straight at you.

Clove's knife flies at you with uncanny speed, but you're already in motion, spinning to your right and equipping your bow mid-spin. Bringing an arrow up, you let fly with it. It misses Clove, but that's okay--you were aiming at Cato, behind her and a little to the left, and your arrow finds its mark in his throat. He drops with a meaty gurgle.

You quickly scan for one of the District 1 Tributes, but no sooner than you find the girl, you see a blast of red light from one of the magicians' wands connect with her chest, sending her sprawling.

Suddenly an incredible force shoves you backward, immediately followed by a horrific piercing sensation in your own chest. Bringing your hands in, they become sticky with blood as you look down and see a massive spear lodged in your midsection.

Looking up, you see it was the boy from District 1 who's thrown it at you while your attention was focused on the others. Rather too late, another magical red blast takes him.

Already dropping to your knees, Clove moves forward and grabs you by the hair. You taste your own blood as she forces your head into the muddy water. And impaled by a spear and bleeding profusely, you're not exactly in a fit state to fight back. You think you see a bright flash and hear a muffled blast and cry as the final wand strike hits Clove--not that it does you any good at this point.

Your magician friends can't revive you. With your death, the Rebellion is at an end!

The story will continue with Answer B leading into Scene 4--and a new character POV--this weekend.

Ten paces in front of Everdeen and the Mellark boy, you see a dark-haired girl and beefy blond-haired boy step up. When the girl goes for her knife, you immediately point your wand at the scene and can see Weasley doing the same out of the corner of your eye.

You're impressed with the speed and trajectory of the throw, not really thinking the girl had it in her. The Muggle blade zips through the hot air at a nearly superhuman speed, and your incantation of the Levitation Charm comes just in time to stop the knife in midair--only a bare centimeter from Everdeen's throat.

You grin at the sight of the brunette's face turning in a moment from smugly satisfied to suddenly startled. The rest of her group tenses up in confusion, unable to believe their eyes. The knife is stuck there in midair, and directly in front of it, Everdeen merely quirks an eyebrow at her attackers.

Then Weasley's wand is in motion--and so is the knife. The Muggles' dispositions go from confusion to outright panic as the knife turns around, seemingly of its own accord, the blade now pointing at them--and sails through the air, picking up speed as it goes. The four scatter, screaming as they run. The tall, brown-haired boy carrying a spear is just able to dive out of the way in time as the knife soars by and into a blackened tree behind the group, where the blade soon melts from the heat of the forest fire.

Blondie helps spear-boy to his feet, and together the four run like hell. As fun as this has been so far, you don't like the thought of it all being for nothing if your quarry is able to simply run away. You send a Blasting Curse at a tree on the other side. Its base explodes easily in the heat, and the trunk crashes into the stream below, shaking the ground of the Arena and sending orange and yellow sparks flying high overhead. More importantly, the fleeing Muggles' escape path is now completely cut off.

They look back at Everdeen, desperation and hate in their eyes. You can tell spear-boy and knife-girl really want to throw their respective weapons but remember only too vividly the latter's experience with that method only a couple moments ago. Everdeen, meanwhile, saunters slowly toward the group.

Weasley creeps forward, and so do you. Keeping your Shield Charm up to keep from being singed by the fires dancing around you, you find an embankment just above the tree you downed and now get a good close look at your Muggle adversaries.

Specifically, you're staring at the two girls in that group and can't help but let out a low whistle at how positively gorgeous they both are. Why didn't Everdeen tell you that you were going to be up against the two most attractive ladies in the Arena? Had you known that, then you could've foregone all this fire-and-brimstone doom-and-gloom. She should've simply allowed you to swagger in and sweep both of these fine ladies off their feet. No need for all this show of force--your charm and rugged good looks are all that'd be necessary to have them out eating of your hand. (The two boys would've still been a problem, admittedly.)

"If I remember correctly," Everdeen addresses the group, "Peeta asked you a question. Allow me to reiterate it for you in terms even your simple minds can grasp: We want information about this Arena. We want to know the inner workings, where the Gamemakers keep their control room, where all the secret entrances and exits are, everything."

"And how the hell are we supposed to know all that!?" blurts out the tall, brown-haired boy, still clutching his spear.

Mellark comes up alongside Everdeen. "You have to know something. You come from the districts most closely allied with the Capitol. It's a little hard to believe they'd send you in here without any inside info at all."

"You think they'd risk us sabotaging the Games by letting us in on their secrets?" knife-girl asks, dumbfounded.

"Well, this is going nowhere fast," you mutter under your breath and, ignoring the urgent protest in Weasley's eyes, leap from your hiding place into the shallow stream below where the others turn to face you as one. You flash them your most winning smile.

"Who the hell are you?" the blonde girl asks, looking at you as if you've just crawled out of a basilisk's den.

Taking her right hand gingerly into both of yours, you immediately put that award-winning McLaggen charm to work. "I'm Cormac McLaggen. But please, you can just call me Corm--" you can't even finish the introduction when the girl suddenly jerks her hand from your grip, grabs your wrist, and with her other arm makes a precise cutting jab at your elbow and you can hear the ear-splitting CRACK signifying the complete break of the bone in your arm. Before you have a chance to so much as scream, her right leg kicks out into the back of your own legs, sweeping you off the ground and depositing you on your back in the muddy stream, her foot landing with one smooth motion on your throat, pressing down hard.

"Ah, hell!" you choke out in a hoarse croak, "Not again!" And that's all you have time to say before her boot is crushing your windpipe to the point that all you can get out are strangled gasps.

Blondie does so, but seemingly more out of amusement than anything else. "And what exactly is that supposed to be?" she says, eying the unfamiliar wooden stick in Weasley's hand. "Pick up a branch and think you've suddenly got a weapon you can use against us?"

"This is my wand," she answers.

At this, the once terror-stricken group is now reduced to laughter. "Wait, you mean like a magic wand?" spear-boy asks between guffaws.

"Oh, this I've got to see," muscle-boy adds, stepping toward Weasley and making a grab for her wand. He doesn't get very far when with just a flick of her wrist, the wand emits a blast of pure energy that launches the beefcake straight into a tall riverbank on the other side, where he collapses into a heap in the mud, groaning.

Immediately, the other boy is on her, attempting to skewer Weasley with his massive spear--but she's ready for him. Turning and pointing her wand at the weapon, she Transfigures the spear into a great long snake. He drops the creature and starts screaming and trying to run away. But of course, there is nowhere to run--fortunately for him, the snake opts to simply slither away.

Figuring this new opponent would be ill-equipped to handle a two-on-one disadvantage, the blonde and brunette rush her from opposite sides. You grin, despite the agony coursing through your broken arm, when you see one of Weasley's patented Bat-Bogey Hexes cause snot to come pouring out of blondie's nose, the fast-drying chunks of which quickly grow, harden, and form wings, then attack the girl's face. And with a smooth, practiced motion, Weasley's wand is immediately on the brunette's knife that she's trying to drive into her chest, and she performs a Reductor Curse, shattering the blade into hundreds of tiny shards that she immediately erects a Shield Charm to protect herself against. Knife-girl has no such advantage, and her face and body are bleeding from the shrapnel that's now buried within. But despite her injuries, she still hasn't had enough. Apparently, none of them have.

Swatting aside flying bogeys, blondie helps knife-girl to her feet, as nearby the former spear-boy similarly aids the muscular blond boy. The four stand together, looking outraged, desperate, and ready to attack again. You shake your head--Everdeen was right. These prats really don't know when to quit.

A united front, they charge Weasley as one. Undaunted, your fellow Gryffindor aims her wand and shouts, "Expecto Patronum!" Suddenly, a life-sized spectral silver horse leaps from her wand and meets the Muggles' charge.

Clearly unprepared for this, the four scatter again, screaming, as the Patronus alternates at random between the prey it chooses to pursue. At one point, it lowers its gleaming head and seems to ram the tall boy, sending him flying and then landing on the brunette girl. The muscle boy actually attempts to grab its hind legs from behind--and is rewarded with a face-first dive into the mud as the Patronus nimbly eludes him.

While your enemies are occupied, Weasley comes to your side. Putting pressure on the fracture in your arm with her wand's point, she shakes her head at you and mutters, "Bloody hell, McLaggen" before saying a quick healing incantation. Just like that, you can feel your arm restored to its previously healthy state. You twist and flex, testing Weasley's handiwork. Satisfied, you let her help you back to your feet.

"It was a risk," she tells you. "I wasn't sure if Patronuses could affect anything other than dementors. Apparently they can."

She rolls her eyes. "Oh, it wasn't a poisonous snake. Besides," she adds, casually watching the havoc her Patronus is continuing to cause, "would you have preferred me to Transfigure it into a lion? That seems a trifle more dangerous if you ask me."

You grin. "Might've been more fun that way, of course."

Before Weasley can make a retort, both of your eyes are drawn to a falling tree, which lands way too close to Everdeen and Mellark for comfort. "What the hell!?" Everdeen screams, looking at you.

When Mellark starts bending over coughing, you realize also that the anti-smoke charms you've added to your fire are wearing off too, making this entire swath of forest too dangerous to stay in now. "We've got to get out of here!"

As Weasley's Patronus fades into nothing, the Muggle Careers regroup and look toward the rest of you uneasily, unsure whether to take advantage of the mayhem and put together a final attack or to ally together long enough to get out of this inferno alive.

Knowing now the source of their troubles, it looks like they're angling for the first option when the brunette girl brandishes yet another knife since Weasley's attention is occupied. But you bring out your own wand and point it at her scratched up face. "Not so fast, darling. I think by now you know what this thing can do," you say, your nod indicating the wand in your hand. Knife-girl wisely, if begrudgingly, puts her weapon back in her belt.

"Listen, everybody!" Mellark calls. "If we want to get out of here alive, we're all going to have put aside our differences for a while and work together."

"Unless," Everdeen adds, and you note that she's never put her bow away this whole time, "You want this forest fire to become your cremation ceremony."

The smoke's really starting to hit your throat hard as you double over coughing, and see numerous others doing the same. The muscular boy nods his agreement, and the rest of his group seems to agree.

Quickly you and Weasley point your wands at the part of the blaze that Everdeen has indicated will lead back into the open field and let loose the most potent Aguamenti Charms that you and Weasley have ever produced. Jets of pure, crystalline water douse the flames. For a harrowing few moments, it looks like it's not going to be enough and you're all going to be consumed. But in time, a way is opened, blessed darkness where there is no more fire. Your group quickly runs through while you and Weasley take point, continuing to put out flames as you charge toward the forest's edge.

You are (quite literally) not out of the woods yet. In your mad dash for freedom, Weasley trips over a blackened log and tumbles to the ground. Flames are racing up behind you. Pulling her up by her arm, your grip isn't secure enough, and she tumbles again. "Go on, McLaggen! Get the others out of here!" she urges.

No true Gryffindor leaves an ally behind, of course, and you're not about to do so now. As you move to try again, Everdeen grabs your arm and practically shoves you along. "Move it!" she shouts. When you see Mellark stoop down and hoist Weasley up over his shoulders as if she weighed no more than a bowtruckle, you continue your dash against the blazing forces threatening to consume you all.

The seconds stretch on like hours, but in a moment, the eight of you have reached the clearing and come tumbling out of the forest. Looking back, you see the inferno alighting that whole section of woodland, the smoke of it covering the entire sky (including your clever little message from earlier tonight).

You stand there, each of you huffing for breath, just glad to be alive. You catch movement out of the corner of your eye, and your heart drops at the sight of the Muggle Careers, all four of whom are making a mad dash away from your team now that they're in the clear.

"We can't let them get away!" Everdeen declares angrily, already notching an arrow in her bow.

"Wait," you say, "let me handle this. All we really need is one of them to talk. No use in having to keep an eye on the whole group, right?" Looking at the fleeing Muggles, you notice the two girls lagging behind the boys. Pointing your wand in their direction, you know you have to act quickly before they're all completely out of range.

Your red bolt hits the brunette girl between the shoulder blades, and you see her drop to the grass with a grunt. Your group comes over and waits for her to wake up. She remains unconscious for quite some time before you and Weasley get impatient and revive her with your wands. She raises herself gingerly to a sitting position.

Your red bolt hits the blonde girl between the shoulder blades, and you see her abruptly drop to the grass with a grunt. The brunette dashes on unheeding, but the tall bloke looks back as if he's going to turn around and help her--until your outstretched wand encourages him to keep to his present course. He keeps running, and soon the three of them are out of sight.

You and Weasley move to stand over her sleeping form, wands at the ready, while Everdeen comes up behind you, her Muggle weapon pointed at the girl's double-braided head.

Nearly a half-hour passes, but the girl continues snoozing on, lying facedown in the grass. "How much power did you put into that Stunning Spell, McLaggen?" Weasley asks with some degree of irritation. "She's been unconscious for quite a while now."

You shrug. "She was a good ways away. I had to conjure up a spell potent enough to cover the distance."

You stand up and begin to pace, absentmindedly rubbing your nose, still feeling the subconscious need to make sure it's still there after it got splinched off during your Horcrux hunt--not that you'd ever doubt the lovely Hermione Granger's healing talents, of course.

"I have to know," Everdeen continues, "if she really was the one who did it. Who killed Rue. Even if not, she definitely knows which one of her friends did."

"We need to get information on the Arena and on Colin first," Weasley puts in with gentle firmness. "We can't change the past, Katniss, but we can help those who might still need us here and now."

You're about to chime in yourself, when you see your group's prisoner finally beginning to stir.

Her eyes flutter open, and you see her put her hands flat on the grass and force herself into a kneeling position, then collapsing under the sheer weight of her fatigue. She rolls over onto her back, and the first face she sees is yours as you stand over her, your wand pointed at her lovely visage.

You smile the same charming smile--if a bit fiercer now--that you'd put on when you first introduced yourself to her in the forest. "Good morning, gorgeous! Or actually," you amend, looking at the dark sky, "it seems to be night still, isn't it?" She looks confused. "Be that as it may, you might remember the last time we were together. Our positions were pretty similar to the current predicament--just reversed a bit." You wink at her.

"I feel... sick," is all she says, the glaze still not gone from her eyes.

Suddenly you see two hands grab the girl's shirt and forcefully pull her upright and off her feet. Katniss Everdeen, her eyes full of madness, shouts as she shakes her roughly, "Did you do it? Did you kill Rue?! Answer me!"

When the girl's only response is her eyes rolling up into the back of her head, Weasley grabs her Muggle companion's shoulder and spins her around. "Listen to me, Katniss. Don't do this. Not yet. Not right now. I promise, you'll have your chance." She looks to the prisoner's collapsed form, who's struggling again to move. "If we don't get the information we need out of her, our friend could suffer the same fate as Rue. Do you want to risk that?"

She stares at the ground. "No, of course I don't."

Weasley nods, then, the tip of her wand glowing with light and aimed at the prisoner's head, incants, "Rennervate." Immediately, clarity comes to her eyes, and she regains control of her basic motor functions.

Everdeen wastes no time. "Your name's Glimmer, isn't it?"

"What's it to you?" she replies, putting as much venom as she can into her voice.

With the swiftness of a practiced hand, Everdeen has an arrow notched and aimed point-blank at Glimmer's temple. "What's your partner's name? The boy from District One?"

She swallows. "Marvel."

Crouching down next to her, the Mellark boy asks, "How much do you know of the Arena's inner workings? Any secret entrances or passageways that you're aware of?"

"Like we told you before," she answers, staring down Everdeen's arrow point, "We don't know. They don't tell us that kind of stuff."

Opening your robe, you pull a flask of potion from within and glance in satisfaction at the label: Veritaserum. You'll soon get to the truth of the matter. "Alright Glimmer, I have to say, you're looking a little thirsty there!" You offer her your bottle. "Perhaps a drink would hit the spot after such a long nap?"

She spits on your boot.

Everdeen nudges the point of her arrow just a bit closer to Glimmer's skull. "Drink it. Now."

Now she looks downright despondent. "What's the point? If I drink that, it's obviously poisoned. If I don't, you'll shoot me. So you might as well just shoot and get it over with!"

At a signal from you, Weasley inconspicuously points her wand and whispers an incantation. At once, Glimmer is gasping, heaving, and you can see her tongue literally drying and swelling. Your fellow Gryffindor sure does pull a nasty Cotton Mouth Curse!

"Now all I'm asking is for you just to take a tiny sip of my elixir here, really just a few drops--" but you're interrupted when Glimmer suddenly gets up and lunges at you. Before you can move to defend yourself, she's already grabbed your bottle and gulped down the entire flask of Veritaserum. Finally, she sits down on the grass, panting in relief.

"There, see? You're feeling better already!" You try to inject as much cheer in your voice as you can in order to disguise your frustration at having your entire stock of Veritaserum used up in one go like that.

"Glimmer, what do you know about the Arena's inner layout?" Weasley asks.

Without hesitation, she responds. "Just before the Games, the Tributes are all taken to a point under the Arena, specifically under the open field surrounding the Cornucopia. There are twenty-four concentric Launch Rooms, one for each Tribute. They're enclosed in a glass tube and raised on a platform to the Arena proper."

"Yes, I think we already knew that," Everdeen seethes.

Glimmer glares back at her. "But what you don't know is that farther down below those tube lift rooms is where the Gamemakers are stationed. It's directly underneath the Cornucopia itself. It's their base of operations throughout the entire Hunger Games. They have their computers, their maps, their holograms, their controls. Everything. From that main Control Room, a hallway branches out to various other offices and holding rooms." She shakes her head a bit. "I don't know much about those places. I know some of them are used for genetic engineering."

You frown. "What's that?"

"Something that doesn't really concern us right now," Weasley puts in. She turns to your prisoner. "Does the name Colin Creevey mean anything to you? Does it sound familiar to you at all?"

"But we're not done yet, are we?" Everdeen says, squatting in front of Glimmer's face, her bow put away for now. You see the first genuine signs of fear on the latter's face since being taken prisoner. "So who killed Rue? Was it you? If not, then who?"

She tries to fight the words bubbling up from within but can't. "I didn't kill her, Katniss. It was... Marvel. He speared her." As you see Everdeen slowly start to rise, Glimmer's eyes begin to glisten with unshed tears. "I tried to tell him not to do it, you see. All of them. I warned them. I knew there was something... something, I don't know, different about you. I tried to stop them--"

"You liar!!" Everdeen roars and is rearing her arm back to slap Glimmer when Weasley stops her.

"Here," Mellark says, and helps Glimmer to her feet. "You've been very helpful. Thank you."

"What will you do to us now?" Glimmer asks, facing each of you in turn. She's under no delusions that your group can easily smoke out her other three friends if you so choose. "What are you going to do with me?"

You turn to your companions. "That's sort of the question now, isn't it?"

Whether it's the influence of Veritaserum still or just Glimmer's own sense of resignation, she complies.

At length, the five of you arrive at a makeshift camp on the shore of a good-sized lake. "There," Glimmer says finally. "This is where we've been hiding. All our supplies are over there. Might as well help yourself."

"Don't mind if we do," you respond, putting as much condescension into your voice as you can.

You lead the others as Glimmer stays back, sulking. Striding forth confidently, you notice an odd swelling in the ground only as your left foot is already in the process of stepping on the protrusion. You register for the faintest of instants an ear-splitting cacophony and a flash of light before you're reduced to your elemental particles and register nothing ever again.

Now that you've been blown sky high by the Careers' booby trap, the Rebellion is at an end!

It is with a pinch of regret that your group watches Glimmer retreat to a point off beyond the Cornucopia and out of sight. "That's a shame, really," you say.

Everdeen nods. "I still feel like we could've gotten more information out of her."

"And I think she was really starting to warm up to me," you add.

She looks back at you with disgust. "No, she wasn't." She returns her gaze to the Cornucopia. "But no, I'm really not sure about letting her go like that. Three Careers would still be dangerous enough, but all four of them together... I don't know if we've made the right move."

"But what could we have done, Katniss?" asks Mellark. She eyes him, thinking.

Weasley comes up alongside them both. "Come on, at least we have a lead. Let's get underneath the Cornucopia and see what we can find. Maybe the Gamemakers know something."

"And even if they don't know anything directly," Everdeen adds, "we can look up records about your friend in the Arena's computers."

"A brilliant idea," you agree. "Now. What is a computer?"

Mellark shakes his head. "Let's go."

The four of you set off in the direction of the Cornucopia. The closer you get, the louder the rumbling you hear. At first you think it just a trick of the ears, perhaps the hum of those underground "computers" the Muggles mentioned earlier. But now, when you're practically at the great metallic horn itself, you swear you can hear a kind of deep, subhuman growling sound.

When you see your companions similarly looking around in growing concern, you know you're not the only one who hears it. You and Weasley pull out your wands while Everdeen readies her bow; Mellark gets out his Muggle knife.

Creeping closer, you can see eyes glowing within the gleaming horn. At once, the creature rushes out. It looks like a wolf but is actually the size of a horse, with black glossy fur, long razor-sharp claws, and a massive mouth. But that's not the worst part of it by far. The worst is the face itself, which almost looks human--especially the eyes. These eyes in particular look feminine, making the creature remind you of a young girl. A very vicious and hungry young girl, at that. Out of the corner of your eye, you see another one of the creatures emerging from the top of the Cornucopia, that one looking almost like some mutant mouse had mated with a giant wolf.

"Muttations!" Mellark yelps.

"Take cover!" Everdeen urges.

The two of them duck behind some nearby vegetation. You throw yourself to the ground as the girl mutt lunges at you. Really, you should just kill it already, but something just seems wrong about all of this, almost like you'd be attacking a little girl by fighting the thing.

You get back up and move to support Weasley, who's going after the other mutt. Her wand is out, and she's about to attack when you see her make eye contact with the beast--and promptly scream.

"Ginny!" you call, turning your run into a dead sprint. "What is it?!" Coming up alongside her, she points and you look. Recoiling from the shock of what you see, it's all you can do not to scream yourself.

This mutt looks much like the other one, with an uncannily human face, yet has mousy brown fur instead of the other's glossy black. But further unlike the first face, this one looks all too familiar--a face you've known since your third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For the eyes that bore hungrily into yours are not just anyone's eyes.

You're looking into the eyes of Colin Creevey.

If the Creevey mutt even remotely recognizes you or Ginny, it doesn't show it. Instead, it just springs with an inhuman snarl.

You shove Ginny out of the way and, pointing your wand at the thing, you yell at the top of your lungs, "STUPEFY!" But the Creevey mutt, while blown back temporarily, just shrugs off the effects of the red blast, hardly even dazed.

A light catches the corner of your eye, and you see Everdeen waving a fiery arrow overhead. "Hey, you stupid mutts!" she calls out. "Over here!"

Both turn toward her and Mellark as one--and charge.

Katniss Everdeen takes her fiery arrow and coolly aims at the first of the pair--the girl mutt--and promptly freezes, a look of incomprehensible horror on her face.

It's Peeta Mellark who gives voice to her unspoken cry: "Rue!" Suddenly, the two of them are dashing for the forest (a different section than the part you'd set on fire earlier, thankfully). The mutts are rapidly gaining on them, and it's all you and Ginny can do to fling curses and hexes at the animals in an effort to slow them down. You're about to overtake them when the beasts suddenly turn around--and run in your direction. You swear they're beginning to coordinate their attack.

You send Ginny high overhead with a quick bit of Wingardium Leviosa, setting her aloft toward the Muggles' position.

But now the attention of the Creevey mutt and Rue mutt are focused solely on you. You point your wand at them, but you're completely at a loss. You see pain in the mutts' eyes, which doesn't translate into their hungry maws or the rest of their bodies. Should you kill them? Put them out of their misery? You freeze in indecision, and soon you feel invisible bands wrapping tightly about you, and you're suddenly flung high into the air and are sailing toward Ginny's position, the other two next to her, as she works her wand and you glide to a stop in front of the other three.

Immediately turning around and seeing the mutts advancing with superhuman speed on your position, the two of you shout "Protego!" in unison, erecting a Shield Charm to keep the beasts out. Swiftly you and Ginny draw the protective field around a large perimeter, a radius of about fifty yards or so, reinforced with an Impediment Jinx also, just in case--protecting the four of you from harm for the time being while the mutts fruitlessly charge and attack the invisible barrier.

Your group, unable to bear the sight of the horrifying creatures, moves to a point deeper within your protective field, but not before Ginny has cast Muffliato at last to relieve the burden of having to listen to the uncanny snarls and barks of your former friends.

Dejected, you and Ginny plop down on a hillock, while Everdeen and Mellark sit on a large rock a few yards away.

For a long time, neither of you say a word. You just sit in stunned silence.

You never really knew Colin Creevey all that well. He was more like the annoying little brother that most people in Gryffindor just sort of tolerated. But all the same, he was always so earnest, sweet, and, well, innocent.

When Potter sent you out on this mission, there wasn't much doubt in your mind that Creevey would turn up somewhere alive. That you and Ginny would find and free him, and the Rebellion would live on happily ever after. Never once did you actually entertain the possibility that it was too late. That Creevey was dead before you even began.

And never once did you even imagine that the Death Eaters or Gamemakers or anyone would do this to him.

You look over to Ginny and see rare tears silently streaming down her face. Being in the same year, she probably knew Creevey much better than you did.

"We met on the Hogwarts Express, Colin and I," she says abruptly, seeming to address your unspoken thoughts. "At the beginning of our first year. H-he was my first friend at Hogwarts."

She lets out a small laugh through the sobs. "It's funny, really. Harry Potter was all we could talk about, the entire trip up. We were both so enamored of him, each of us arguing with the other about which one of us was his 'biggest fan.' But far from being rivals, we became fast friends."

You can tell she wants to say more but can no longer find the words.

"He didn't deserve to go out like that," you find yourself muttering.

"No," she whispers.

You get up and start pacing. "I... I've never heard of this kind of magic before. Taking someone's life--their soul?--and turning them into an undead beast??" Ginny is silent as you go on. "This isn't normal Animagus magic or Transfiguration. This... This is... This is the Dark Arts is what it is!"

"They know we're here," she says suddenly.

"Who?" you ask.

"The Gamemakers. Someone in that Control Room knows we're here."

"Well, I should bloody well hope so! They have to have been tracking us ever since we made our abrupt entrance with Everdeen over there. They'd have to be doddering idiots not to know there are two extra players now."

"No, it's not just that, Cormac. They know not only that we're here, they know who we are." She stares at you, her face earnest. "They know that we're wizards in rebellion against You-Know-Who, and they know our purpose here." She pauses to compose herself. "That's why they threw Colin at us the same time they threw Rue at the others."

This realization hits you like a Blasting Curse to the chest. "But who? How?"

She shakes her head sadly. "No idea."

You resume pacing, your mind in overdrive. "I think I know who might have an idea, though," you muse aloud, a horrible thought suddenly coming to you.

Ginny frowns. "Who?"

You squat in front of her. "Think about it. Who was the person who put Creevey in the position he was in the last time anyone saw or heard from him?"

"How should I know? Wait..." Suddenly, realization dawns on her face. "Snape," she whispers.

"Snape," you confirm. "Yep, that was how he got out of our Games, remember? Professor No-Good Hook-Nose played like he was being some great hero. He was going to take Creevey's place in the Games, give him a free ticket out. Except he wasn't quite free to roam around anyplace he liked, was he?"

"No," Ginny agrees. "As long as the Polyjuice Potion was in effect, he had to be Snape. Which meant that when the Games got underway, he had to be around Snape's Death Eater cronies."

"Be a pity to think what'd happen when the Polyjuice does what it always does..."

"...and wears off," she finishes.

"While he's still swimming in a sea of Death Eaters and Ministry lackeys."

Ginny takes a moment to think it over. "But I still don't understand. I mean, Snape is on our side. Dumbledore trusted him."

"Dumbledore's also dead."

"But why would Snape do this? Why send Colin off to his death?"

"I think Creevey was just a convenience--it had nothing to do with the boy himself. No, Snape just needed to get inside the Arena."

"I still don't get it. When Snape was in here disguised as Colin, he was helping recruit the Slytherins to our side."

You turn to her with a look of triumph. "Exactly." You sigh. "The Slytherins. It always comes back to the bloody Slytherins."

"I think I know what you're trying to imply, Cormac, but it just doesn't bear out. They participated with us in the escape from the Arena."

"He used Parseltongue to open it, and you saw how dangerous that thing was, as soon as it was opened. Who's to say he wasn't hoping to finish what he started last year? Be real nice and fitting, wouldn't it--another cursed necklace for Katie Bell to do the trick this time."

"Okay, and Crabbe?" Ginny raises an eyebrow at you.

"Is an idiot--even by Slytherin standards--and got himself killed."

"But what about the Horcrux hunt itself? They--" and she stops. Suddenly, she's starting to figure it out for herself.

"Yeah, precisely how much help were our vaunted Slytherin allies in the recent Horcrux search, Ginny?"

"Not much," she says, swallowing. "Malfoy and Pansy took credit for finding the ring Horcrux, but Fleur Delacour later explained to a few of us in private that the ring was given to her by contacts she had made--contacts who had specifically rebuffed Pansy."

"Uh-huh," you encourage her. "Not to mention her reports of how comfortably Malfoy was schmoozing with Panem's dictator, President Ice or whatever his name is." You keep your eyes fixed on her. "Keep going."

Ginny's face is starting to look downright dangerous. "And Goyle..." Now she too is on her feet and pacing. "Goyle insisted on going with Harry and Luna as they searched for the Deathly Hallows."

"And we know how well that turned out, don't we?"

"They turned up nothing. It was a pointless quest."

"Almost as if Goyle was perhaps diverting them away from the whereabouts of the real Hallows, wouldn't you say?"

"Goyle did help save me from a dementor during our Games, Cormac..."

"He's got to keep up appearances, doesn't he?"

"But this is Goyle we're talking about here--you couldn't find a more witless dolt among Hagrid's flobberworms."

"And yet he's formidable enough when he lets Malfoy do all his thinking for him--or Snape, for that matter."

She's unable to keep the worry out of her voice as she puts it all together. "So Professor Snape conjures up a plan that he knows will put a Gryffindor Tribute in deadly danger so that he can infiltrate the Arena and recruit the Slytherin Careers. But he wasn't recruiting them for the cause of our Rebellion. They were recruited for his own purposes, probably at You-Know-Who's behest, in order to spy on us and attempt to sabotage our war efforts from within. And now Colin Creevey is dead because of it."

"They've been in You-Know-Who's pocket this whole time, I'll wager," you declare, clenching both of your fists. You can't help but glance at Everdeen and Mellark, who appear to be having their own hushed, heated discussion. "Forget those blundering Muggles we faced today. I always knew the Slytherin Careers were dangerous. This just confirms it!"

Ginny looks at you in alarm. "And if all that's true, then the Slytherins know where our secret base is, Fred and George's shop. They know all of our mission objectives. They know our movements, our intelligence, our equipment, our magical artifacts, our strength." The blood drains from her face as it all sinks in. "Harry," she breathes. "Harry's in danger!

"Cormac, our mission here is over. Colin's dead." She moves to grab your arm, preparing for Apparition. "We have to get back to the shop. We've got to warn Harry and the others before it's too late!"

"Well, don't you think we ought to at least inform our friends over there first?" you say, indicating Everdeen and Mellark. Apparently, your actions haven't gone unnoticed as the boy gets up and comes your way.

"I think I caught part of your conversation," he says.

"Which part?" Ginny comes back, sharply.

"The part about your friend being dead," he says as gently as he can.

She softens too. "I'm sorry, Peeta. You've been a great ally, both you and Katniss. But we have to leave now. If you'd like, we can take you two with us and get you out of this dreadful Arena. After that, though, we'll need to go our separate ways."

"Why the hurry to leave?" Everdeen asks, coming up to your group.

"Now that Creevey is dead, there's no point in sticking around," you answer.

"How do you know exactly?" Mellark asks.

You both look at him incredulously. "That was him back there, the mutt," Ginny explains. "We saw Colin Creevey's face on one, just as you saw Rue's face on the other."

"Are you sure that was actually him?"

"Of course it was! He and I went to school together for years. I think I'd bloody well recognize him."

"Oh, I believe you that the face was the same. But was it actually him?"

You and Ginny both come up short on that one. "How can it not be him?" you stammer.

Mellark runs a hand through his hair. "I probably shouldn't get your hopes up like this..."

"But?" Ginny says.

"But... I've heard things. From the Careers, when I pretended to side with them in the beginning. Rumors about the Gamemakers' genetic experiments. At the risk of oversimplifying, I don't think it'd be impossible to build a creature like that without needing a corpse."

"That's what we were talking about over there, by the way," Everdeen interjects.

"But Rue..." begins Ginny, then continues more gently, "Rue died. And we saw what they did with her."

"Sure, they could do something like that with a dead person," says Mellark. "But from what I've heard, it's not necessary. It's almost like, like... a clone. A horribly mutated clone, of course, but a clone just the same."

You meet Ginny's eyes, and you know you have an impossible gamble in front of you. On the one hand, you could keep going based on the vague and unlikely hope that maybe Creevey is still alive, and thus put Potter's Rebellion at greater risk the longer you go without warning them about their unseen threat from within. Or you could go warn them straight away and take measures against the Slytherin moles--but potentially consign Creevey, if he's still alive, to a then certain death in the process.

From the Arena, you blink and then whisk the group away to the distant, forested wilderness called District 12, the homeland of your two Muggle companions. After an altogether rushed goodbye, you then return Ginny and yourself to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Exiting the shop, you search every place you can think of, but instead of finding your mates, you at last find a contingent of Death Eaters, lying in wait! They are led by a particularly burly wizard you recognize from the Daily Prophet's coverage of the Azkaban breakout two years ago as Antonin Dolohov. "I knew we'd find some of you sooner or later!" he says, his long pale face twisted into a triumphant sneer.

Dolohov is the first one you and Ginny take out, but you're way too outnumbered to last much longer in a straight fight. Within minutes, you're both bound tight by enchanted ropes, after which you are summarily dragged before You-Know-Who for questioning. Forget the Slytherins--it's you who've doomed your cause.

And you never do find out what role, if any, the Slytherins had in your being found.

With you and Ginny Weasley in captivity, the Rebellion is at an end!

The story will continue with Answer B leading into Scene 7--and a new character POV--this weekend.